Review “I don’t know if we’re better than before. We don’t know if our future is better or not but we are the best to enjoy this moment.’
The above statement summarizes the 2 seasons of this drama. There was no big resolution at the end, it’s just about going through life and enjoying it with your friends, family and partner.
At first, I thought this drama lost its magic in the first 2 episodes. It was so odd and didn’t like their time at the mountains and how Jiyeon’s cancer was miraculously cured. Was the time spent there supposed to mean something because they didn’t really grow up when they went back to the city. Maybe it was just to wrap up Jiyeon’s cancer story. Should she be drinking so much?? I’m so glad they went back to the city and the story went back to how it was in season 1. I watch this because of the 3 girls and their relationships with each other, their memories about their parents, and the guys. They didn’t drink as much as in S1 though.
I always look forward to Sohee’s story and her weird romantic vibes with Director Kang. They always show him as gross and dirty but she oddly feels attracted to him, esp when he does those little things to support her. We also get to hear Kang’s story and why he is that way. He also has a lot of trauma (Siwon in fatsuit is too cute!!) And Sohee loves helping pitiful men. I think they are a match or complements each other well. But wow to Jiyeon for taking care of Kang and his dad instead of running away.
Jiyeon is the friend that I also love. She is too noisy most of the time but she shines when you need her the most. I thought the story with the siblings were boring but end up liking them too. They should bring Seonjung to their trio. She is also crazy. I also thought pairing loud Jiyeon with a guy with hyperacusis is interesting. But wait Jiyeon and So Hojun (funny cameo!) also works!! Alas she is still single by S2 end (but with 3 men) lol. Just a note that she told the siblings that communication is best, but when she fought with Jigoo, there was also a lack of communication.
Jigoo is the most silent and boring (for me) but she is the most thoughtful. I love that she found someone who really likes her. Yoon Si Yoon fits right in with his lovely artsy vibe. And Jiyeon is right, when the time comes, Jigoo will be the first one to leave and never look back. I wish Jiyeon told this to Jigoo, so that Jigoo can reassure her that they will be friends no matter what.
I dont know if there’s a possibility of S3 because I’m going to miss the girls!! They can actually stop at S2 but the ending just begged for a new season!! Would love to see the girls evolve since they’re now in relationships. They’ll prolly continue to be crazy.
Profile: Drama: Work Later, Drink Now (술꾼도시여자들) Network: TVING Episodes: 12 Release Date: October 22 – November 26, 2021 Runtime: Friday 16:00
Plot: The story about three friends who love to drink while they go through the joys and pains of life.
Main Cast: Han Sun Hwa – Han Ji Yeon Lee Sun Bin – Ahn So Hee Jung Eun Ji – Kang Ji Goo Choi Siwon – Kang Buk Gu
Review: This web drama was a wonderful surprise! The first 3 episodes the girls were drinking so much, I felt drunk just watching them drink and drink and drink. Later on I got so used to them drinking I was numb, and even wanted to join their drinking binge. They drink not just because they love to drink, but it’s also their way of coping with all the pressures and pleasures in life.
Episode 1 captured the 3 characters’ personalities just through their drinking habits. And having Kim Ji Suk cameo was a poor guy who had a blind date with the three girls was perfectly hilarious. Jiyeon is the crazy fun (embarrassing) friend and Sohee is the friend who always have work. It took some time for me to warm up to Jigoo because she is serious and silent but she’s fierce and loyal and will be the first to protect you when needed.
I love (sometime envy) their friendship! They have gone through so much, from heartbreaks, death, work issues, illness and they are always there for each other, no matter what happens or where they are. I would love to always have my fave bar where I can just spend the whole night chilling with my fave people (and the owner lets you close his shop).
I thought the story will be light and fun but their stories just got deeper and serious after each episode. Ep 9-10 were the saddest.
Choi Siwon as Kang Bukgu -just like what Sohee said, I think his character is disgusting but he’s so soft, that you can’t help but like him eventually (he’s addicting and super hot when he finally shaved!). Now if only he stops being a jerk.
I’m looking forward to season 2 because I want to know more of their stories (past and future)! I hope we get more scenes with Mr. Nice paper – I think he’s a sweet addition to the crazy group, and will make Jigoo less sad and serious. I want Jiyeon to get well and find a nice guy (not just go flit from one guy to another – she deserves to be loved because she is so sweet and fun). And I want to see more fight/rawr/sweet moments between Bukgu and Sohee!
Profile Drama: Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation (번외수사) Network: OCN Episodes: 12 Release Date: May 23 – June 28, 2020 Runtime: Sat. & Sun. 22:50
Plot A detective unintentionally teams up with a gusty TV producer, an ex-NFS turned funeral director, a profiler slash networking sales agent, and former gangster turned bar owner to solve homicide cases.
Main Cast Cha Tae Hyun – Jin Kang Ho Lee Sun Bin – Kang Moo Young Jung Sang Hoon – Lee Ban Seok Yoon Kyung Ho – Teddy Jeong Ji Seung Hyun – Tak Won Park Jung Woo – Min Dae Jin
Review I’m a big fan of Cha Tae Hyun, so I try to catch almost all of his variety shows, dramas and movies. After his unfortunate (and unfair!) scandal last year, I was excited to see him back and active in kdramaland. And i think Team Bulldog was a fantastic choice for a comeback.
First off, this wasn’t his usual role. He always plays the nice guy and family man so seeing him play a reckless and relentless detective was so much fun! And it helped that this drama perfectly balanced seriousness with light humor/sarcasm that was perfect for Cha Tae Hyun! I didn’t even realize he could do action! haha! i mean, he doesn’t have a lot of suave action scenes but he did a lot of running and beating up some guys that i thought okay, he looks good too! I loved his banter with his boss – like he can just talk so rudely at him but it was so funny and true. good thing his boss is nice (and lazy), and he actually is so good at solving crimes that he gets away with his rudeness. I also loved his character’s funny scenes and rapport with the rest of the cast (i will mention them later). I thought the group was such a ragtag team of misfits and experts yet they worked so well together.
Another thing i loved about this drama are the cases. Instead of episodic cases, they decided to just have 4 cases, so each case took around 2-3 episodes to solve. So there was enough build up of the tension, a lot of investigations and clues that made the cases interesting. The cases were also not the usual affairs or murder cases, but tackled transgender, twin brothers, street kids and a few serial killers. Some of them are also close of the heart of the team which makes the cases important and gives the team more reason to be closer and understand each other.
So the main premise is there’s this reckless Fact Check PD (Kang Moo Young) who likes to solve crimes before the police does and air it on her show for the ratings. And most of the time, the cases she choose coincides with Kang Ho’s current cases. I love that despite the different ways they investigate the clues and evidence, they still end up with the same leads and conclusion, and it’s with sharing the knowledge of the cases that they are able to solve them completely.
To be honest, i didn’t like Moo Young character that much. She was too condescending at Kang Ho, kept scoffing at him and calling him lazy cop when he is so competent at his job! I think she has a lot of hang ups and thinks she is better than the police in solving crimes, which I thought was too arrogant. Plus, most of the time, she ignores the rules and goes into so much lengths just so she can get ahead, all for the ratings.
And i dont understand why she wont share information with Kangho when he is a detective and he can help her? Kang Ho has been quite fair in his dealings with her. He also doesn’t care about protocol and rules, as long as he gets the job done, so i dont think he would turn down Moo Young’s help, esp if it would hasten him to solve the crime. I especially did not like episode 11 when Moo Young enlisted everyone’s help in solving the Lockroom murder, even kidnapping the actual killer – without letting Kang Ho know all about it!! So i super agreed with Kang Ho in episode 12 when he found out and he was pissed off. he said, i can’t believe you kept him when you already know a detective! i could have helped you!! But the good thing with Kang Ho is he doesn’t hold grudges. He didn’t like what happened but he still worked with them to catch the killer.
Aside from Kangho, Tak Won is my second favorite character. Maybe because i have a soft spot for the actor. I loved his role as a NK soldier in DOTS and the husband in Search WWW. And he was deadpan funny in this role! He is an intelligent profiler and his analyses always make sense and are accurate. I dont remember if they ever revealed the reason why he stopped teaching profiling to the police and decided to set up his own (failing) detective agency. and the endless ribbing and jokes about the Good life networking products were so hilarious! I guess it is also very rampant in Korea!
Oh Teddy Jeong! i love this guy and his 2 Red Zone employees! They always arrive at the scene a little late but is always ready to beat up the bad guys! I love that they always have a fantastic grand entrance, with Teddy looking so cool while inhaling his asthma inhaler (haha!) and proceed to punch, slap and kick the guys like they’re nothing. And when asked, he always say, no worries, i have nothing to do because the bar hasn’t opened. LOL.
The other person is the ex-NFS turned funeral director Ban Seok (and his deep dimples). I loved that they used his area as their office, although there are a lot of dead bodies in the freezer (like one of them said, there’s always aircon haha). I just wish he had more opportunity to display his talent other than a few analysis of blood samples here and there. His story about her daughter was also very touching.
Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed this drama and felt that 12 episodes were not enough at all! They spent 12 episodes working separately and only working together in the last leg of the cases. then on the final episode, they finally admitted that they make a great team (Fact Check and Kangho and the others) and decided to name themselves “Team Bulldog” then they find out the serial killer they caught escaped. GAH!!!! I really wish there is a season 2!!! it really felt like season 1 was just an intro on how the team got together but the real action has not started! I wish Netflix picks this up for a few more seasons and I will definitely follow this show! Actually, i wish OCN inks a partnership with Netflix so every one can watch all the awesome OCN shows! Side note – i hope if they ever decide on season 2, that they include Dae Jin into their team! 🙂
KDrama Dreaming 