This Week’s Watchlist!
A roundup of my thoughts on media I’ve consumed
Since Crash Landing On You isn’t airing this weekend, and since I’m waiting to catch up on Never Twice until I can power through the angst to the resolution (a tactic I use all the time with dramas. I’m a coward), this looks like it’s going to end up being a post entirely about older dramas.
The Producers: I watched this drama because I really like most of the cast, and I was looking for a lighter funnier show to marathon while I’m adjusting to being back at school (cries). Since I’m still a kdrama newbie, I know there were a ton of meta jokes and cameos that I missed in a show like this one, but it was soooo rewarding whenever I caught one! Overall, I enjoyed my ride through this show, despite the lack of kisses and the lovelines that took too long to resolve. I actually liked that Cindy’s crush ended up a little open ended, mostly because that’s realistic, but also because there just simply wasn’t time to make the emotions feel genuine and earned if the couple had gotten together. Ye Jin, on the other hand, I felt deserved to have her love life get resolved an episode or two earlier (and I deserved a kiss goddamnit!)
I particularly loved the female characters, who were very different but equally compelling to watch, and I loved that they ended up as an odd pair of loyal friends by the end. The show was at its strongest when it showed the silly and unexpected friendships that sprang up among all of its characters, and all of the 4 mains had distinct and compelling dynamics with every one of the other main characters. I was most satisfied by Cindy’s storyline, and the strongest emotions this show wrung out of me was my pride and relief at her getting out of the terrible situation she was in. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours, but probably not something I’ll be rewatching anytime soon!
Coffee Prince: This part actually ended up getting so wildly out of hand that I’m going to be splitting my thoughts into several posts. (I’ve got one about the treatment of gender and sexuality in this show for sure, as well as a few on some of my favorite scenes.) Sometimes you return to something and it’s not as good as you remember, but Coffee Prince really holds up. (Possibly even better the second time around since I know what subplots I want to ff haha).
Coffee Prince was the second kdrama I ever watched, and the first I ever finished. Father is Strange was my first drama and once I’d caught up on it and needed something to fill the void, I sought out drama rec lists and ended up settling on Coffee Prince. Father is Strange may have been the catalyst of my interest in dramas, but Coffee Prince sealed the deal. I was hooked! Now, 3 years later I ended up rewatching it to introduce it to my sister and Coffee Prince has worked its magic once again.
Coffee Prince is a deeply flawed drama–most, if not all, of its subplots are boring or confused, the last minute extension means the drama trails off rather than finishing strong, and there are any number of problematic elements to the story itself. Despite all of these flaws, it’s one of my favorite dramas and I consider it to be one of the best love stories I’ve ever seen.
When I was talking about dramas like Crash Landing On You and My Love From Another Star last week, I called them the platonic ideal of a romcom–the wild premise, the sparkling chemistry, the witty dialogue–these are all the elements that make the romcom genre so fun and addictive, and they are displayed to brilliant affect in dramas like these. Coffee Prince is an entirely different beast, a show that deepens the genre from a romantic comedy into a love story. What is love? What is the right way to love each other? If we are in love, what should we do about it? This is a show that takes these questions seriously. Over the course of 17 episodes, we see two people fall in love very quickly. They are then faced with the much more serious dilemma of where to go from there. In order to love each other in a way that enriches and supports the person that they love and which is true to themselves they have to become surer, braver, and more open. The sympathy and respect with which Coffee Prince writes its oddball little love story is something that every writer should aspire to.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the hype. If you have, maybe it’s time for a rewatch!
