what’s poppin folks, we are back with another edition of currently watching, currently reading
📺 SEVERANCE
format: series
genre: psychological thriller
where to watch: apple tv
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives; when a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
💭 my thoughts: we’re constantly inundated with messages about ~wOrK-LiFe BaLaNcE~ and this series poses the question: “what if we literally separated work and life"?” I honestly don’t even know how to explain what this series is and I’d recommend going into it without doing any research lol just watch the first episode and see if it’s the right series for you 👀
if you like Black Mirror, then I think you’ll like Severance
📺 BUSINESS PROPOSAL
format: series
genre: romantic comedy / kdrama
where to watch: netflix
In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up on a blind date to scare away her friend's prospective suitor. However, plans go awry when he turns out to be Ha-ri's CEO and he makes a proposal.
💭 my thoughts: this one is so fun!!! a lot of kdramas tend to create unnecessary drama towards the end of the series which makes it seem very contrived but this one was fun until the very end. plus i love a fake dating trope lmao. would recommend!
if you liked To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, then I think you’ll like Business Proposal
📺 SH**TING STARS
format: series
genre: romantic comedy / kdrama
where to watch: viki
Set within the entertainment world, employees work for a star and try to make that person shine.
Oh Han-Byeol (Lee Sung-Kyung) is the PR team leader of a management company. She has excellent skills in speech and crisis management. Gong Tae-Sung (Kim Young-Dae) is the top actor of the management company where Oh Han-Byeol works. He is loved by people due to his image of a kind and polite person. But, Gong Tae-Sung has a different side. He has a strong desire to win and a hot temper.
Oh Han-Byeol and Gong Tae-Sung bicker over pretty much everything, but their relationship develops romantically.
💭 my thoughts: honestly, this show is a mess lmao. the male lead is sent to “Africa” for a year (…which country? they never specify) and the entire African continent is stereotyped and portrayed as a monolith.
as korean media becomes more mainstream and internationally recognized, it’s now expected for their industry to exercise due diligence and treat different cultures with care and respect. this clearly was not a priority for the producers and writers of this project.
in addition: the story is just all over the place, the leads have no romantic chemistry, and the ensemble doesn’t work well together. i’m already on episode 7 and literally nothing has happened yet. there has been zero character development so far and i’m already halfway through the series. it’s boring & there’s no plot so i don’t think i will be continuing lol
📺 WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY, KIM BOK JOO
format: series
genre: romantic comedy / kdrama
where to watch: viki
A coming-of-age story about a group of college athletes who are fighting for their dreams, experiencing and finding love in the process.
💭 my thoughts: i actually already watched this back in 2016 but wanted to rewatch it with my mom because she hadn’t seen it yet. i ended up not remembering the story but it was really fun to revisit! there’s a great ensemble cast and if you like college dramas, then you’ll really like this one. this was Nam Joo Hyuk’s breakout lead role and you can tell in his acting—he’s still really good here but he was sooo young haha and his craft & work definitely improved in his more recent dramas. so as an actor myself, it was cool to see where he started.
if you liked Start Up or Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, then I think you’ll like Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo
📖 THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME
format: book
genre: regency romance
The inspiration for season two of BRIDGERTON, a series created by Shondaland for Netflix, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn.
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...
Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...
💭 my thoughts: i loved season 2 of Bridgerton but i felt like we didn’t really get to see a lot of Anthony and Kate together so i decided to download THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME on the Kindle app and i finished the whole book in one sitting! the show is very different from the book but the characterizations remained intact so it didn’t stray too far in that regard—i very much enjoyed it. would highly recommend if you enjoyed season 2 of Bridgerton to get your extra dose of Kanthony ;)
what shows/movies/books have y’all been watching/reading? lmk!
Really loved Business Proposal—I just watched it this month! Now Shooting Stars... which I had planned to watch afterwards, had me shut it right off in the first ten minutes. 🙃 I was interested in watching because I hadn't seen Lee Sung Kyung for a while and I loved her in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo! RN, I'm giving Abyss on Netflix another try tho and I'm really liking it.
I tried severance but I felt so smooth brained since I didn’t understand at all what was happening at first lol. After reading your thoughts I’m gonna try it again since I loved black mirror! If you like kdramas, Green mothers club (lotta drama and critique on society) and liberation notes (slow paced romantic drama about 20 & 30 something year olds) are really well written - both on Netflix’s~