What Should I Watch?

Platform shoes, crop top, scrunchies, miniskirt... these are currently the hip fashion items. But do they sound familiar to you? If so, you probably have lived through the 80s and 90s. Back then, things were not as cool and maybe not as convenient as now but it was good ol' days.

It was similar in Korea. The country was not as rich as now but there were some things that Koreans have lost over time.

While watching this iconic Reply anthology, you will certainly relate to the young main characters. But isn't that interesting that you will also relate to their parents and the neighbors, the adult characters? It's probably because through the youth, we have grown and learned the life and become mature adult who understand and appreciate the good old days. If you are reminiscing about one of those fun summers you had many moons ago, ask, "Do you hear me? Reply, if you hear me, my youth"

[TV Shows mentioned in this episode] My Fellow Citizens (2019), I Need Romance (2011)

Princess Ariel returned to the big screen but not everybody liked it. If you're looking to replenish the thirst for a good legend story this summer, this Korean drama may work for you. An old Korean record from the 16th century shows that there were multiple mermaid sighting back then. Suppose it's true, what if one of those mermaids is still alive, and walking among us? Unlike Ariel, this Korean mermaid is neither a princess nor a delicate creature. She is physically a lot stronger than humans, can learn a language overnight, and can transform between legs and fin whenever she goes in and out of water. But the Korean mermaids have one fatal weakness. Once they fall in love with a human, they must earn the love back otherwise their heart will get hardened, killing them eventually. The Legend of the Blue Sea is a perfect romantic comedy to enjoy in the summer as if it's taking us on a vacation by the ocean. [TV Shows and Movies mentioned in this episode]: Because this is my first life (2017),My love from the star (2013),Crash Landing on you (2019),Kingdom (2019),Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (aka Goblin) (2016),My Sassy Girl (2001),Pachinko (2022),The King: Eternal Monarch (2020),The Heirs (2013),Reply 1988 (2015),Hospital Playlist (2020)

Ending Music: Rest in Peace, Comrade by Hyeon In (1950)[TV Shows mentioned in this episode] I'll find you on a beautiful day (aka When the Weather is Fine)(2020), Narco-Saints(2022), Crash Landing on You(2019)BTS just celebrated their 10 year anniversary but some of the members are serving their military duty. Had Korea not been divided or the two Koreas been reunited, South Korea might not have mandatory military duty which means, BTS would have been all together now. The epic Korean movie Steel Rain assumes that the second Korean War is imminent. But it's not just a war or a spy movie. It also focuses on humanity and the value of togetherness as one nation, one family. We continue talking about the epic Korean movie, Steel Rain and what the life in North Korea is like, including a fun fact about a special business area in North Korea.

I don't know what you did last summer but the world knows what North Korea did in the summer of 1950. June 25 is a special day for Koreans because that's the day the Korean War broke out 73 years ago. After all these years, the little peninsula is technically still at war and the house is divided. And Is the Cold War really over? North Korea is still keeping their arms crossed, Russia seems to want their old glory back, and China's relationship with North Korea is somewhat complicated. So what if another Korean War is about to break out, after the North Korean leader is thrown out by a coup d'etat?[TV Shows mentioned in this episode]: D.P. (2021), Crash Landing on You (2019), Sweet Home (2020), Mr. Sunshine (2018), The King: Eternal monarch (2020)

Just when you think you've heard of all kinds of monster stories, here is something new just in time for the summer. These monsters did not come from hell or other planets; they were always there. Inside you. You've been with them most likely since you were born. And that's why this apocalyptic, monster-filled series Sweet Home hits close to home because it makes us look deep down inside of us. The good and bad, shameful and arrogant moments, all the feelings we have had will be reminded while you watch this fist clenching thriller. [Movies and TV Shows Mentioned in This Episode]Kingdom (2019),Train to Busan (2016),Love Alarm (2019),Navillera (2021) ,Mr. Sunshine (2018),On the Verge of Insanity (2021),I haven’t done my best yet (2022),Designated Survivor: 60days (2019),Hometown Cha Cha Cha (2021),Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016)

Cha Cha Cha is a style of dance that’s fun and requires a partner. It'd be the perfect prescription for the modern world that makes a lot of us feel alone. Especially as we went through the Covid pandemic, we felt disconnected from family, friends, and the community. The characters in this week's Korean drama, Hometown Cha Cha Cha live the life we were yearning for back then. The neighbors in this little seaside town help and care for each other like they are one big family. But just like dancing, we can’t become a perfect partner at first. Some people need more time to learn the dance, just like some need more time to adapt to the community lifestyle. A dentist from Seoul moves into the town and she struggles to fit in. But with the help of local man, Chief Hong, she learns. A step by step. How to dance, love, and live the life fully. TV Shows and Movies mentioned in this episode:Reply 1988 (2015), The Heirs (2013), Black Night (2023), My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010), Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020), Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (2023), Start-Up (2020), Welcome to Waikiki 2 (2019), Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong (2004), When the Camellia Blooms (2019), Decision to Leave (2022), Oasis (2002), Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022), It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), On the Verge of Insanity (2021), *2 Days & 1 Night [Game Show] (2008-Present)

Have you ever skipped school? Although some love being in school, we all have at least dreamt of walking out of the classroom where we must follow rules. Imagine you are stuck somewhere for almost two years with stricter rules and almost no individual freedom. Would you want to walk out? Jin and J-hope of BTS were no exception to this seemingly suffocating lifestyle. All Korean men must serve in military as required by the law. Behind the walls of military base, some make lifelong friends, experience something unique, and even have fun. But what else is going on there? Some became the perpetrators and some became the victims who had to desert their post. And a few good men among them are chasing after the victims while teaching us how we turn into the bystanders that are no better than the perpetrators. Although the Korean drama D.P. is set in the military, it's a story that portrays ourselves in the society.

[Movie and TV show mentioned in this episode]

Couple or Trouble (2006),

Tune in for Love (2019)

Jonestown, Branch Davidians, Aum Shinrikyo, NXIVM, Order of the Solar Temple, etc. Although they are not as well known as these infamous cults, there are many cults that are just as evil as these in Korea. The heinous groups in the netflix documentary In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal are only part of it (I highly recommend it if you're interested in cults.) So this week's Korean drama Save Me doesn't come off just as a TV show. In fact, many details in this drama were inspired by a couple of Korea's infamous cults. It's often said that humans are the scariest thing. That's probably why this drama that's not gory and doesn't have any monsters or ghosts is so scary. If 16 episodes aren't enough, go for the season 2. It has many recurring characters of the season 1, as if it shows how hard it is to root out evil.TV Shows mentioned in this episode:In the name of God: A Holy Betrayal (2023), The Glory (2023), The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)