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.