Currently listening to Sarah Bareilles

I've been feeling showtune-y these past few days and listening to a lot of broadway classics, then this shows up in my recommendations: A whole concert of the exceptionally talented Sarah Bareilles singing songs from her musical Waitress. I'm pleased to find she's wicked funny and soooo extra. I love the part where she says "I'm going to play every part because...I'm a narcissist~" She is a diva in the best way possible. Love her!

The TV Roundup #10

This week has been alternating bursts of productiveness and indolence. I did some studying, screened people for vaccination, doomscrolled (schadensurfed?) news on Twitter, fell into a YouTube black hole. Exciting stuff.

None of the shows I watched this week merited the honor of header pic so I chose this pic of Song Joong-ki instead. I heard he was pulling a homme fatale and then I saw him with the horse and the swoopy bangs. I almost regretted dropping Vincenzo. Almost. To be fair, I have heard good things since I dropped it. Who knows, maybe it'll get loads better for the rest of its run.

The Sword and Brocade | E26-30

Yawn. I was bored. Shiyi's investigations lead her to suspect Xu Ling-yi and she accidentally stabs him with scissors. This obviously causes Problems on top of other crap they've got going on. The Emperor sends him somewhere far to deal with...something. I forget what. I usually skip the politics and I have pandemic fog brain. Last Wednesday feels like last month. Anyway, Lingyi goes despite his injuries, she gets rightfully exiled and punished for the injury she accidentally caused. I say rightfully because no mamma, especially one as protective and biased as Grand Madame Xu is going to care that it was an accident. Other shit goes down, somebody tries to kill Shiyi, Lingyi comes back in a dramatic rescue. They sort of reconcile but not really (he's still understandably cold towards her) and that's where it ends. Weird place in the story to end but oh well. They've got 15 more episodes to make up and for crying out loud will you kiss already???

A still from episode 36. THIS is the kind of cuteness I want, Show. Gimme gimme!

Jeopardy | 2017 Tournament of Champions

Austin Rogers is defeated after 13 (14?) straight wins and he comes back to play in the tournament of champions. And what a tournament it was! All the champions who came back, Rogers included, were excellent. The two-part finale was particularly riveting. The final players, Buzzy Cohen, Alan Lin, and Austin Rogers, were all great players and entertaining personalities. They're probably my most favorite trio of players ever. I love the gags they and Alex Trebek did at the beginning of each match. It was clear that everyone was having lots of fun.

Look at those scores! It was a tight match for most of the games until the daily doubles came into play and caused an upset.

The TV Roundup #9

The world, or at least my world, is back to where it began a year ago -- a lockdown. We've come full circle. Vaccines are available but supply is limited so healthcare workers, front liners, and other vulnerable populations are given priority. And if you can get a vaccine, do it! For your sake, and for the others who cannot get safely vaccinated for health reasons.

The Sword and The Brocade | E01-E25

This was an accidental binge watch. It's like I made up for lost drama watching time in one day. I watched 19 straight episodes. I did skip most of the political scenes but that's still a lot of hours. I haven't done a marathon binge of this length in a while. 

I really like the OTP dynamic here. Individually, they are smart, capable people, but together they are the most awkward beans ever. Watching them change their minds about the other and slowly fall in love (slooooow burn) has been an absolute delight. I do have to report that Episode 24 onward has been rather boring. I don't know if it really is that way since our couple has been separated (one is off to do his duties, the other is left at home) and the politics has been ramping up or because I've hit saturation point and need to do something else. Which I did.

This may be my most favorite Wallace romantic leading man yet. Xu Lingyi is awkward, sweet, respectful. He's flawed but he tries his best. When his wrongs are pointed out, he accepts criticism and tries to change his ways.

Shoutout to actresses Ying Er and He Hong Shan for their riveting portrayals of first wife Luo Yuanniang and concubine Qiao Lianfang, respectively. I especially liked Ying Er's calculating Yuanniang. She was a big reason I stayed during the first 10 or so episodes when she was alive and the romance hadn't started yet. She schemed and planned all so her son's safety and legacy is protected. I do not condone the things she did, but I admired her strength and composure in the face of death. Concubine Qiao, on the hand, is an utterly hateful woman and yet I do not find her annoying to watch on screen. Actress He Hong Shan has breathed life into this character, made her feel real and at times even sympathetic. No small feat that.

New (to me) actresses to watch out for.

She Would Never Know | E14 - E16 Finale

There was a tonal shift in the final two episodes. It's like the first 14 episodes were shoujo and then a 5-year time jump later and we have a josei in our hands. It's a different flavor but I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was a lot less cotton candy fluff and melodrama. The effect of those five years really showed and I'm happy to report that all main leads, including annoying secondary characters all showed growth and maturity. Let's count it down:

Whiny Mom. I think hers is the most drastic change, except for the Banshee Princess. She finally woke up, looked in the mirror, and gave a good, hard look at herself. Then she stopped living in denial land and actively took steps to improve herself. The immediate result is a shocking 180. It's like they cut out her necrosed personality and grafted a new one in place. Amazing. I even found her interactions with our OTP cute in the final episode.

Cheating Ex and Banshee. I'm still not sure how I feel about the eleventh hour character rehab but I appreciate the maturity and perspective they both obtained after five years. I am glad that they both managed to move on, get closure, and be civil down the line. Nice little bow ending I suppose.

Chae Ji-seung and Lee Jae-woon. A couple we stan. The OTP might bring the chemistry and cuteness, but this couple isn't any less sexy or desirable. We have two mature individuals who went in knowing their own and the other person's worth. They knew what they wanted - a life with each other - and lived their best life to make that happen. It's honestly amazing how well they suit each other. I can only wish that I be blessed with the same kind of stable, loving, respectful relationship they have.

Chae Yeon-seung and Dr. Doth Protest Too Much. Internalized homophobia and cowardice. That's what ultimately killed their marriage. Sad. She is everything that is good and kind. It is his greatest fortune that she fell in love with him and continued to love him despite his fuckery. (And to be clear, being gay or whatever the hell gender he is is not the instigating problem. The problem is he had an emotional affair with an ex and dragged her into the cesspool of his self-destructive confusion and cowardice.) She was beyond generous when she offered to stay with him and be his beard shield while he came to terms with his true self. And finally, finally she's free. It only took five years. Ultimately, I believe divorce is good for everyone involved. All three (mom, dad, kid) will be happier and mentally and emotionally healthier in the long run.

Yoon Song-ah and Chae Hyun-seung. Have I mentioned that I really like the shift in the OTP dynamic? For the longest time, it felt like Song-ah held the power in their relationship and Hyun-seung, like a true adoring puppy, tailed after her and selflessly gave her what she needed. She herself saw how unfair that was on him and broke up with him for "his own good." Pfft. Correct diagnosis, wrong treatment. Breaking up was not the answer, but she finds that out for herself. Now girlie is chasing after puppy. Turn about is fair play and I love it. I really enjoyed the moments of her "wooing" him and having her be vulnerable and open, so he can finally see how much she loves him too (in vino veritas hahahaha).

There was a point when I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back and finish this show but I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed these final two episodes and the series as a whole. Lots of warm fuzzies and smiles from me. In the end, there's really not much to the show: it's just two lovely people meeting at work and falling in love in the process. Shows like this live and die on the chemistry of the leads and I'm glad to say both Won Jin-ah and Ro Woon delivered in spades.

❤❤❤

Jeopardy | Austin Rogers episodes

Champion Austin Rogers has amassed over USD 400,000 at the point I stopped watching. His brain capacity for trivia is amazing.

Suits | Season 6

Suits is one of my all-time favorite shows. It's so easy to watch and sometimes I watch random episodes just because I miss the OG cast. This is one of those times. I didn't watch the whole season, just selected episodes of Mike in prison and when he first got out.

Currently listening to piano jazz

This was my background music today while I studied pediatrics. A most productive night indeed. I'm probably going to listen to this tomorrow again as I tackle cardio.

The TV Roundup #8

Due to circumstances outside of my control, I once again have more time on my hands. Should I be spending this excess free time studying? Probably. Am I going to do that? Probably not. I am thinking of trying a modified Pomodoro where for every hour of studying, I spend 30 minutes relaxing or watching a show. Or maybe I'll do 45:15 studying to watching. We'll see. As usual, spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

Vincenzo | E05-E06

I think I'm dropping this. As much as I love looking at suited up Song Joong-ki, Vincenzo does not spark sufficient joy. I hate to say this but Vincenzo the character is boring. The point where I threw up my hands in surrender was when he told Hong Cha-young about the gold in the secret basement. She didn't believe him but he was seriously telling her the truth. They're not lovers. They barely count as friends right now. He's known this woman all of five minutes and he tells her a secret people would kill to keep hidden??? *head desks, face palms, hulk smash keyboard*

Speaking of Hong Cha-young... SIIIIIIIIIIIGH. Hers is probably the most frustratingly written character on the show. I want to like her but she's not making it easy. I wish the show would stop telling me she's good at her job and actually show me. Because so far, she's done diddly squat to convince me that she was once Woosang's ace lawyer. All the legal strategies and plans come from him. She's nothing more than Vincenzo's legally licensed mouthpiece and love interest. Blech. The romance feels forced and the progression is not organic at all. It doesn't help that she has more chemistry with the puppy.

The most interesting character so far is Jang Joon-woo. Ok Taecyeon is doing a great job playing up the harmless puppy-evil mastermind duality. He could show more of the psychopathic aspects of his character, but that's just my nitpicky evil villain preference. And unlike the OTP romance that's being shoved down our throats, I actually believe Jang Joon-woo is fond of Hong Cha-young. He dotes on her and obviously finds her antics amusing. Though why he thinks she'd ever come back to Woosang when the firm ordered the hit on her father, I can't fathom. Evil villain logic?

Oh and shoutout to actress Kim Yeo-jin who has been phenomenal at playing the slightly unhinged, unapologetically kookie ex-prosecutor Choi Myung-hee. It's such a juicy character. By hook or by crook, she gets the job done. And it is such a DELIGHT and so refreshing to see how effective she is. Between her and Vincenzo, she's actually the one who's more like a cunning consigliere.

She Would Never Know | E13

Dr. I'm-Not-Gay doth protest too much.

This episode centers on two main conflicts. We begin with the first one between the lone married couple. Is doctor dude gay or just an emotionally constipated faker? What is this mistake they keep harping on about? Was it an emotional affair or did he and Chef actually go further in testing their sexuality in college?

My heart breaks for Yeon-seong. With tears in her eyes she asks her husband, "Do you love me?" And he couldn't immediately answer. *stab in the heart* He answers yes after a beat, but the damage is done and I don't think either of them believe what he said.

This conflict is so poignant, so painful for everyone involved. Yeon-seong of course, for this massive betrayal of her trust. (I don't like that they keep making it a Gay/Not Gay issue when the crux of the matter is Husband introduced an old flame as just his friend. Even if Doctor and Chef weren't boinking then or now, there's an emotional component there that never went away and was rekindled when Chef came back.) Then there's the precocious daughter who senses her mom's sadness, and Chef who not only lost his love again but also his new friend. I believe Chef was genuinely fond of Yeon-seong as a person, and I think he found kinship with her, perverse as it sounds, for loving the same man. I can empathize a little with Doctor dude's gender identity confusion, but he's such a coward that any sympathy I managed to scrape for him went down the drain the moment he presented her with divorce papers. She's right. He's a coward who wanted an easy out.

She is the best, most thoughtful daughter ever.

Our main couple continues to be lovely together. I'm really glad that their conflict now is internal as opposed to external. Career or love - ah that age old question. Which path will bring less regret? I feel for both of them truly. In her shoes, I'd pick career too. As cute as they are together, Song-ah is far too practical and ambitious to throw away her dreams for a guy she's been dating only recently. The last instance with the scummy ex doesn't count. She was never gonna go because of the strings attached to that job transfer, unlike now where it would be purely for her own career progression. But this being a kdrama, I have faith our OTP will get their HEA one way or another.

Cuties <3.

Jeopardy | Too Many Episodes To Mention

I've been rewatching a lot of reruns of Jeopardy this week. It's a lot of fun and so easy to watch. It just hurts whenever I remember Alex Trebek no longer walks among us. May he rest in power wherever he is. :(

Currently listening to ambient Chinese instrumental music

New developments vis-à-vis my internship, life, and the big effing C, has my blood pressure rising. I decided to play some traditional Chinese instrumental music to help soothe the beast. I hope this lovely playlist brings you calm, focus, good vibes, whatever you need.

The TV Roundup #7

Has it really been 7 weeks already? Man, time flies. I found some time and energy to watch a new show this week. Which of course means I didn't have time to watch that other show. Oh well. (Spoiler warning: Don't read this post if you haven't seen the first 4 episodes of Vincenzo.)

Vincenzo | E04

Let me preface this by saying I love The Godfather trilogy. (A remixed version of the theme is my ringtone!) I like my fictional mafiosi morally grey or straight up evil, capable of doing really bad things to get the job done, and most of all - compelling.

Vincenzo Cassano falls very short of that standard. Especially since he was made out to be this incredibly sly and scheming dude at the beginning. He managed to easily foil an assassination attempt by professional mafia hitmen and then less than 48 hours later he gets drugged, beaten up, and his possessions stolen by small time crooks??? Explain that to me. 

It was like his brain power halved when he landed in Korea. He kept letting bad shit happen to him and making a move after the fact. That's not how I imagined a powerful mafia's (former) strategist would move. I was promised a sexy, scheming brain dammit!

I guess I'm disappointed because I went in expecting a dark, gritty, beautiful show about an ex-consigliere and what I got was a typical Korean story of a team of underdogs fighting against a greedy corporation. The mafia background story is little more than salad dressing at this point.

I also disliked the annoying ahjussi lawyer on his moral high horse. He is, predictably, dead. Good riddance. It's just funny that this actor keeps dying whenever he plays lawyers. LOL.

And I hate that the Hong Cha-young is being wasted! She's supposed to be really good at her job but she morphed into useless arm candy once she teamed up with Vincenzo. She's quick on the uptake and I love her chutzpah. She has a lot of potential and I really wish they'd do more with her character.

Now that my complaints are out of the way. Let's talk about what I love. The weird motley of tenants. Jeon Yeo-bin's sass and unapologetic demeanor as Hong Cha-young. Puppy Taec doing his best puppying yet. Dapper Song Joong-ki.

My favorite about the show so far (other than the visual treat that is Song Joong-ki) is the reveal that puppy Taec is THE big bad. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense. Taecyeon wouldn't get cast for a simple love rival character. His antics and actions take on a very different color now that we know he's the evil mastermind.

So that's Vincenzo the show. I went in with high hopes. Said hopes were promptly dashed within the first episode. When will I ever learn? If it's a crime show not on OCN, it's never going to be as dark as I want. To be fair, it IS an enjoyable show and I am definitely enjoying all the looks Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin are serving. I just needed to adjust my expectations and enjoy the show for what it is.

Now here are some pretty pictures to brighten your screen! I will never tire of looking at Song Joong-ki in sharp suits.❤️

So handsome. How does one compliment a handsome guy in Italian? I'll find out.