Weekly Update: Oh My Ghostess, 8-12

January is upon us, and with it so many New Year's resolutions. Mine are all along the, work more, play less variety (though really,  I can't see me giving up on my drama playtime, do you?). Ergo, I've decided to have a fun  resolution in line with my drama watching--Friday updates on my drama habit.

I'm still  home for the holidays, although due back to uni next week (*sob*). So despite my expanded level of free time, I haven't been watching much, preferring to spend time with my parents and dog, etc. Dramas go with me wherever I go and have wi fi. Family I only get in small doses, much to my sorrow.

So I'm still plugging away at Oh My Ghostess. And I use that verb deliberately, because this show is a little bit of a chore for me. It's not that it's not really funny sometimes, or that the cast isn't spectacular (really--Park Bo Young, Kim Seul Gi, Jung Jo Seok, all frigging amazing). I even really like the deliberate slice of life format it's been taking, with less engineered plot and more character-driven story progression. It's just that this is the kind of story I don't like.

Three quarters of the way through, and I can say it with confidence. I don't like this plot. I don't even like the characters all that much...probably because they strike too close to home.

                                      

I've been both Na Bong Sun and Shin Soon Ae. For me, Na Bong Sun is painful to watch, because it brings up so many bad memories of self-imposed isolation, bone-deep loneliness, and despair. I want her to find courage and friendship and happiness so badly! I want her to grow. But this show wasn't about her finding a family and love and herself. It was about Soon Ae trying to do that for her, and the two of them finally, finally realizing it doesn't work that way. You only find acceptance and courage when it's you taking the risks, not your cheerful body-possessor. And with only four episodes left to go with bigger issues at stake, I don't feel like Bong Sun's going to get that, or even that she should with this particular circle. Her hero worship for Chef isn't love, either, whatever his own ambiguity about the real her might be.

And Soon Ae? I both love her and hate her. I see her perspective, but her disregard for others in pursuit of what she wanted veered beyond invasive. Don't get me started.

The side kitchen characters feel wasted too--not delightful or family, but annoying, abrasive, even unkind to poor defenseless scapegoat Na Bong Sun. I like Joon, who with his warm, wise persona stole my heart, and I <3 Eun Hee, our brave wheelchair bound ballerina with enough kindness to embrace the world. But really. I wouldn't want to work at this restaurant.

It's not painful to watch, don't get me wrong. I just don't enjoy it as much as I'd like to, and I can't wait to move on to the next drama on my list, Splish Splash Love. Because time travel stories where the hero/heroine goes back in time are my faaaaaavvveee.

But holy schnicklefritz, does tvn know how to do kisses or what?

                         
But this got me thinking. I do have a very definite taste that I've developed without thinking about it. So what do I like in dramas?

-Brave, spunky, kind heroines who pursue their noble passions and help others. (Healer, The Princess' Man)
-Heroes who learn from our heroines, whether it's growing up (a la Woman Who Still Wants to Marry) or to trust and like people (a la Healer).
-Hero suffers pangs of unrequited love at some point, whether because he falls for her first or because he does something that no longer makes him worthy of her affection. (Gaksital, I Hear Your Voice, Healer)
-Found family story lines, often involving one girl and a bunch of boys, though the addition of a good sismance is applauded, preferably none of this in the romantic way...just family, rooted in mutual affection. (You're Beautiful, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, Answer Me 1997)
-Stories involving the past coming back to haunt, or just forming the present in some way. Yes, I'm a sucker for childhood sweethearts finding each other again. (Gaksital, Pinocchio, Healer)
-Time travel (although I much prefer going back to going forward), or some form of heroic action to give the story drive and excitement (City Hunter, Healer, Tree with Deep Roots, the Princess' Man, Empress Ki)

Really, Healer is my perfect drama. I'm also excited about Scarlet Heart: Goryeo because it looks like it might hit all those points. We'll see.

Maybe I should just write my own...