my ajumma notes

Most hilarious, with extraordinary acting by magic pair Shin Hye-sun and Kim Jung-hyun. King It is rare to get a TV king who is strong yet compassionate, smart  and  willing to learn, honest but quick with ploys.  King Cheoljong was so likeable, and it was intriguing and gratifying how he turned the play from being a nobody-puppet to a stunning takeover of power.   Watching  Waikiki , where he performs very well, I didn’t realise that Jung-hyun had so much more depth as an actor.  Here, a lot more is required of him and he handles all the character modes formidably – as fake-dumb king, warrior, pained soul, and as the person he really is, being wonderfully funny, serious, emotional, sentimental and passionate throughout.  I love that he always addresses the queen “My Queen”.  Fantastic writing and acting. On top of all this, he sings  'Like the first snow'  for the OST! I didn’t fully understand all the snide referenc...

This wasn’t too tedious as a 20-parter, thanks to its exciting pace and great acting.  Still, we must bear with some repetition – how many times do we have to endure our four newbies being bullied, ignored and put down?  How many times do we have to applaud Mr Oh (Lee Sung-min) and Ms Sun (Shin Eun-jung) for saving their team members and treating others respectfully?    The saddest thing about this is that millions put up with discrimination, victimisation and sabotage every day – in classrooms, boardrooms and workplaces all over the world.   The newbies represent different ways to deal with the toxicity.  Perhaps one can try to fight it, or stand up for one’s ‘rights’, or win over others with one’s zealousness. It is under-qualified, ridiculed Geu-rae ( Im Siwan ) who passes this test best.  I don’t know a thing about  baduk  but it is clear that his years of training as a player developed the traits by which he surv...