It feels like the kiddos have headed to the playground and finally there are three adults ready to rumble. This week’s new arrival Wed-Thurs insurance fraud investigation drama Mad Dog on KBS premiered to 5.5% AGB nationwide rating, which is very low but a notable improvement over the 1.9% its predecessor Manhole got on its final episode. The fun is over in the other two networks as SBS and MBC duel it out between While You Were Sleeping and Hospital Ship. Sleeping got 8.1% and 9.4% this Wednesday with Hospital Ship right up its stern with 7.5% and 9.3%. These aren’t the high ratings both networks should have gotten with the big name casts and promotion beforehand, but I’m still enjoying both to varying degrees and the viewer feedback remains on the positive side.
I’m enjoying the pacing and directional edits of While You Were Sleeping but it feels a smidge slower than Pinocchio, and with it a bit of tension seems deflated. Also because we see what is supposed to happen and then how the three leads try to thwart it, and so early in the drama it’s clear they will succeed so there isn’t as much tension (yet). Nevertheless the slower pace is generating incredible character development for all the leads, and the supporting cast shines equally bright in their own memorable addition to making a cohesive and gripping story. Drama’s still going strong for me, and the romance is slowly kicking off.
I’m gonna stoop watching .. the episodes are quite predictable already.. Lee jong Suk’s charm is fading..Saad.. I like the lawyer character better.. Sad to say but Lee jong suk seems too stuck with his acting routine.. time to bring out new skills dude you’re not getting any younger. As for Suzy, as much as I’d like to withstand her cringeworthy acting, dunno why I see YEH in her.. Park hey ryun cannot make another hit drama..
Suzy’s acting is dismal. The character is interesting…a better actress would have done this role more justice. Its flat flat flat…
I thought she improved from her earlier dramas in ep 1 but now she’s back to showing that she was only cast for PPL and CF money.
Not a hater but he plays very similar role which are usual for him and that can be played easily by others actors. Hopepe he takes some solid role.
I think Park Hye Run and Lee Jong Suk should not work together for a while. Unless Park Hye Run writes a really different type of character she should cast other men. She seems to keep LJS in her mind all of the time and this time she went further and even wrote a female lead role keeping abilities of Suzy in mind. This is not good. She sholud take a cue Kim Eun Sook who keeps changing the leading men. PHR has already made a name for herself in dramaland so many popular and capable actors will be glad to take the offer.
I thought the same @blazingflame .
He and Shin Se-kyung are obsessed with fantasy dramas.
@blazingflame, yep.. he is pretty repetitive. His character is different here but he still isn’t capable of completely transforming. If he was replaced with another actor, it would actually even improve the story.
@Lilac, Shin Se Kyung has more variety in her roles than LJS though. SSK only had Girl Who Sees Smells and BOTWG as fantasy dramas so I wouldn’t call that obsessed. LJS has mostly taken fantasy dramas (only Dr. Stranger was an exception to this, and maybe those movies with Park Bo young and Seo In guk)
@prettysup: Blade Man and Black Knight are both fantasy dramas as well.
I thought he was good in W, not many actors can pull off a scene that lasts almost half an episode but he did it so well i didn’t notice it was that long till I saw the time.
He took a villain role in a movie recently too but I agree PHR dramas now seem ‘default’ for him, I liked IHYV and Pinocchio but now it’s diminishing returns.
I don’t know why anyone is still rate Lee Jong Suk as an actor? Oh i see.He is decent playing cute and all, or non heavy scene. But give him something to work with, and he is often fail than not. He is pretty stiff showing genuine emotion. And W is showing his weakness pretty clearly.
I don’t think the opinion of someone who thinks IU was a better actor than Kang Ha Neul in Moon Lovers, can be trusted to judge actors’ performances.
There goes SBS’ big hope for a smash hit Wed-Thurs drama.
I agree, WYWS is loosing it’s fire. There’s no tension and it’s not hooking me up. The main couple doesn’t have chemistry. I thought Nam Hong Joo would have a more significant role but she is disappointingly passive. The plot is too nonsensical and it has many illogical outcomes that are never explained properly. It was interesting in the 1st episodes but now it’s getting tiring. I’m enjoying Hospital Ship slightly more, Ha Ji Won i keeping me there.
oops the above was supposed to be a reply to you. sorry for the mispelling.
@Lilac, Blade Man (I almost forgot, not the best of LDW), Girl Who Sees Smells, BOTWG and now upcoming Black Knight, so 4 roles out of 20+ characters in her almost 20 years of career (making her proper acting debut as a teen ager).
So yeah, it seems a lot since she’s been lately in a fantasy drama and her upcoming drama is going to be fantasy drama too, but it’s not actually that much if you compare it to the amount of roles. LJS seems more obsessed with fantasy dramas; Secret Garden, IHYV, Pinocchio, W and WYWS and that’s like 90% of his dramas are fantasy dramas
im not interested im like this hungry hyena waiting for a good meal .thus, a great drama doesn’t need to have that numbers it all comes to the persons taste and preference.
went to watch mad dog just now.. how come that guy is here again lol but its only the first ep so cant tell much, but the pacing seems just right so far 🙂 it managed to introduce the plot so much within the first hour without being all over the place.. so i like that bit very much 🙂
Meanwhile Koala still trying to hide how terrible Suzy’s narration really was. She doesn’t take a second to trash other actors even for their minor mistakes. I remember she even didn’t approve of Gong Hyo Jin few years back maybe because GHJ was not ‘beautiful’ and so popular back then.
Time to up the game for nice Suzy because odds are not always in one’s favour. Meanwhile I keep pondering over the name of multiple worthy actresses who could play the part excellently.
Anyone else miss Park So-yoon this week? Can we have a video call next time!
I miss her alot
Honestly, HS and WYWS are just average, nothing great . The good surprise came from ‘witch’s court’. Once again don’t judge a book by his cover. I’m not in the mood for Mad Dog, later perhaps. Still waiting now for kang sora and jang nara dramas.
Pinocchio was really fast-paced and exciting for the first half, then it sort of fizzled out in the second half. No idea about WYYS but I’m not inclined to watch it yet.
16 episodes would have sufficed. Same with IHYV, 16 episodes is enough for PHR dramas. Actually, most dramas only need 16 episodes.
Pinocchio was great as long as the hyung’s arc was central, Yoon Kyun Sang was a minor supporting character at first but he got so much viewer love that up to about ep 12 he was stealing the second lead spot. With a pre-shot drama there’s no chance to get a surprise breakout like that.
Also I’m not a big fan of Park Shin Hye but she and LJS had amazing chemistry in Pinocchio, it’s not PHR’s best drama but they kept me watching. I don’t see that kind od spark in WYWS.
So where is everyone who was predicting that WYWS would be a smash hit and crush all the other dramas because of the “star power”? .1 percent difference with a drama full of nobodies with no buzz is not exactly ‘crushing’ anything.
Chuseok is over, it’s three weeks into airing, it really looks like this is not going to be a Moonlight Drawn by Clouds/IHYV or even Pinocchio kind of hit. I will be surprised if it is.
Ha Ji Won is a nobody???
You must be new.
Other than Ha Ji Won, I meant. People have to be kidding if they claim they thought HS was going to do double digits that early with no star writer and no known actors other than HJW.
@prettyautumn agreed with your second comments, despite loving the first two episodes I am not motivated or excited to watch remaining episodes. I am more excited for mad dog and 20th century boy and girl. They are getting some great reviews.
And I genuinely feel he is not playing different character in this either. The only difference I find the job he does previously he played doctor, a comic characters, journalist and now prosecutor.
Woo Do Hwan is pulling me too, I’ll first see if Mad Dog will continue staying interesting. And you’re totally hitting the nail on the head. Only his profession has changed, but it’s still LJS with same voice and same style and no other changes..
I watched HS, but gave up after ep 4,despite my love for HJW. The story kinda failed for me. Didn’t even touch WYWS. But I love Mad Dog so far. Fast paced with good acting – though the plot has been done before, it’s kind of like a mesh up of 2 of my favourite dramas, namely Lookout and Police Unit 38. So I’m hoping for better ratings next week!
I onced gave up HS also after ep 3, but when I pick it up again since i dont have anything to watch it keeps me going…it just naturally drawn me after I gave it a second chance 🙂
Still watching an really liking the drama. Maybe its just the kind of slow but sweet kinda drama I enjoy. I’m also worried a little about the plot losing its direction because there are parts of the dream theory that don’t add up but I try not to think too much about it.
Do really miss Suzy & Kim So-hyun bickering! Hope she has other female companions to have such fun bickering relationships with.
mad dog is interesting, the cast has chemistry and the rivalry is also on the line, I hope this drama will rise.
WYWS is not doing good compared to the promotion, like I remember seeing their article almost more than one for a month even when the air date is far away
Watching both except for mad dog, i can feel that WYWS were very intense during first 4 episodes, and the pace and intensity recently quite slow down but i’m still following it. On the other hand, Hospital Ship if you will watch it, this drama will really touch your heart. It is simple, yet you can relate their struggles when we talk about family and friends matters.
I’m not sure why there is so much negativity to WYWS. I find the plot to be interesting and the chemistry to be refreshingly cute. I like that the romance is slow paced and that the plot is slow. It really helps for me as a viewer to get connected with the main characters and learn about their motivations. Maybe not it’s not up to everyone tea to watch a slower paced drama but in the sea of bad kdramas of the late, this is great!
It’s funny but for me it’s the opposite. I think the romance is rushed and someway forced to me. And I don’t like how the actors played those parts, Suzy has this cute voice and it’s really boring. Her character can be interesting like when she spoke about Christians in Korea but finally she’s just the damsel in distress who needs to be saved…
I watch it for JHI, his character is so cute 😀 And naturaly cute, not boring voice or weird gesture…