My feelings about KBS Wed-Thurs drama When the Camellia Blooms is ambivalent hence the lack of posts on it. K-viewers are really enjoying it outright and ratings have gone one way up since it premiered with the most recent episode reaching 16.9%, the first for a prime time drama this year. I think the drama is very well written, with interesting three-dimensional characters and a great neighborhood and smaller town dynamic that hews closer to weekend drama territory. The leads are very well cast, especially Kang Ha Neul who is killing it as the earnest hot-blooded cop with his heart on his sleeve and Kim Ji Suk being both a champion baseball player and a loser in his romantic goals. The reason I’m not fully captivated is on Gong Hyo Jin, both her performance as Dong Baek which feels like a retread and moreso the character itself. I just don’t really connect in any way with Dong Baek and that’s creating a lack of caring about the story because I don’t care about her, but I do love her son and the people around her. The serial killer aspect is also jarring and I really wish it didn’t have to be in this drama at all. But overall I watch every week and find it interesting enough to keep going.
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Wednesday-Thursday are strong in dramas. My favourite is Extra-Ordinary You! But Secret Boutique is good too, I love the casting. I really like Kang Ha Neul in When the Camelia Blooms but I'm not so interested in the story...
I like secret boutique but Im going to put my watching of the show on hold and wait to see what happens on the next few episodes after last week episode. Jenny never seems to have a break and I’m one of the few who ship Jenny with Sunwoo. I feel too sorry for Jenny to see her alone.
Same here , Extar-ordinary you is a good surprise, i like Secret boutique . But for the 1st time i don't click with a Gong Hyo Jin's character, Kang ha Neul is good but i dropped the drama . Until now i've watch and liked all GHJ' drama .
Me too! I can’t get into this because I earnestly don’t emotionally care about the female lead and I don’t see vivid chemistry between the leads.
It's cheesy but okay. Lol
Personally, I cannot watch any of Gong Hyo Jin's drama. She know how to act, and that's not the problem. It's that
When I watch her, I am very conscious that she's acting. For me, she's not watchable. My opinion only.
+1
That's the same with me. The only drama I've enjoyed from her is It's Okay, It's Love. But even then, I was only watching for Jo In Sung.
I can't watch any of her dramas because I always feel like I can see that she's acting.
Dont agree..I prefer to watch a drama with good acting...bad acting dramas are unwatachable to me. Thw concesus ratings i think show that this is a highly produced quality drama.
I like aspects of the drama, but do not think it is all that special. It seems to be resonating in korea and it is nice to see some double digit ratings.
Camellia is NOT the first primetime drama of 2019 to reach 16.9%. Liver or Die which aired in the same timeslot in March 2019 got 22.8% ratings (nationwide).
Not to forget "The Fiery Priest"
I remember Fiery Priest but I don't know if it's considered a weekend drama or a primetime drama. Usually primetime dramas refer to dramas on Monday to Thursday.
Thanks Ms. ? for posting about Camellia. The drama is really well written. I'm planning on checking out the writer's other works because of this drama.
Do watch Fight for My Way, if you have not, also by the writer who’s really good at depicting underdogs / ordinary folks’ realistic life struggles - A refreshing change from chaebols’ business / wealth battles.
The only thing I like about this is the serial killer plot. Everything else is super boring.
I wanted to watch Camellia for Son Dam Bi but with Pegasus Market, Vagabond on the go and I’m going to start Tales of Nokdu and VIP with Jang Nara oh and to Catch a Ghost for Jung Eugene I’m pretty much full up. Plus I like GHJ in serious thriller type roles like Door knock. I’m sorry and I know I’m gonna get slammed for this but for Rom coms I can’t watch her because her face reminds me of a turtle.
Pegasus Market is hilarious especially the tribe they always steal the show with just one scene .
@M Definitely my go to for a weekly laugh. The revolving door where you have to push for entry is a hoot. I gotta do catch up on a few episodes because one episode a week is really unfair. I wanna binge watch a couple in one go. I love the entire cast and storyline too. That tribe with their unicorn on their head is symbolic of something else was hilarious in the reveal.
Vagabond??
Believe the formula for the drama success is the combination of good script, unique directing and polished acting by GHJ & KHN. I was initially skeptical over the noona pairing again but KHN really nailed the dorky role well and GHJ, despite playing socially outcast underdog roles in Master’s Sun, Jealousy Incarnate and Camellia, often endears viewers with her fine acting skills and pleasant visuals, though she’s hardly a beauty. She’s a true romcom Queen!
I totally agree, this is the only drama I'm watching week after week. It's so refreshing that the male lead is not a genius type of character nor a mega rich chaebol. No super hearing, no super strength or whatsoever.
Gong Hyo Jin has a very natural acting style, I like that about her.
She also has a really good eye for scripts, if you look at her dramas over the last ten or fifteen years, every single one has been a hit, even when she tried a new format (Producer). There's no other actress who can boast that track record with so many dramas.