Okay, I have no idea what I just watched but it’s all okay because it was so so soooooo good. The first episode of tvN mental health themed drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay (Psycho But It’s Okay) premiered this Saturday and the first episode was impressive and intriguing. Ratings for episode 1 was 6.093% AGB nationwide, and for comparison sake to other recent hit tvN dramas Crash Landing on You premiered with 6.073% and Goblin got 6.332%. This drama isn’t a fantasy romance like those two hits and I don’t think would rope in such a wide audience, it’s actually off putting to watch as there is much darkness and disturbing behavior all around, especially with female lead Ko Moon Young played by Seo Ye Ji.
She’s a legit sociopath but one that we will likely see was shaped by her childhood surroundings whereas male lead Moon Kang Tae is so awesome off the bat. Like, Kim Soo Hyun came back from the army and is even more of a heart pumping strong male lead onscreen. He takes care of his autistic brother played by Oh Jung Se and also takes care of many other mentally challenged people around him as a mental hospital orderly. He’s do decisive and measured, and such a rich character to explore especially as he sparks against Moon Young’s brand of legit psycho. The directing bears mention as absolutely insanely well done, like The King: Eternal Monarch could have benefited from this level of talented directing but here it’s used to showcase a really weird and curious story line that makes me want more.
I liked the first episode!! The script, directing, editing and musical scoring were FRESH and on point. The drama is so intriguing, can’t wait for the next episodes. I hope they can continue this pace and kind of story-telling. Since you mentioned TKEM, IOTNBO’s first episode is more cohesive and seems to be well-done. 🙂 It’s looking like it’s going to be a great comeback project for KSH.
I believe Kim Soo Hyun is really a very good actor so no matter who you pair him with or what kind of character he portrays, it will go well to him coz he acts as the character. And he’s really handsome. I only looked forward to this series because of him.
I enjoyed the first episode. It was all good. But, still have to watch more episodes how they will turn out.
Guys! Anyone watched Backstreet Rookie? It is so bad and fucking racist (so gross). It is even worse than The King.
I liked the Tim Burton inspired opening scene…its a clever way of introducing central plot…I liked the sensitivity and thoughtfullness that has gone into portraying mental health issues in child and parent dynamic…I liked how they used fantasy elements to avoid showing the downside of being a care giver or nurse in a mental health institution…cinematography, editing, acting A+ for now…hope it can keep this up….Also Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji are on fire together.
This explains why the first half of Backstreet Rookie yesterday night only rated 3.7%, since it (10:00-10:40) overlaps with the last stretch of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (9:00-10:30). At least, the rating for the second half of BR (10:40-11:10) leaped to 6.8%. Still worse than The King’s numbers though.
This drama airs from 9:00-10:10 BR airs from 10:00 to 11:10. There is almost no overlap and does not explain a rating of 3%.
Sane people will not compare the blockbuster TKEM with Backstreet Rookie, especially that BR is on iQiYi and TKEM is promoted in Netflix. TKEM has Kim Eun Sook, LMH, KGE, WDH and all the promo. BR has KYJ and JCW, probably the fiery priest PD name.
On the other hand, if BR can get 6% and the finale of TKEM get 8% it say much more about TKEM than BR.
I don’t get about people that make a case from nothing, who knows how both drama will ends up.
6% on a primtime timeslot without any competition is very low for Backstreet Rookie. Though it doesn’t even deserve that much because the drama is racist and sexist to the core. I’m glad netizens see that and are actively criticizing it and calling for it to be cancelled.
but still.. there are still many of their fans tried to defend this by blaming the fault on the korean feminist which i found it funny. just accept it that the 1st ep of BR is crap
The first episode just sparked! It was tense and funny and macabre. I loved Seo Ye Ji in Save Me. This is a great showcase so far for her powerful presence, she just draws the eye. She’s so assured in this- not one second feels forced or stagey.
On one hand other shows are doing dismal performance in ratings , but this one is surely going to go super high .However it will be too early to bet that it can rake in that coveted 20pc mark.But I m hopefull that it won’t take much time to reach double digit.
TVN came back with a bang…Post CLOY ,the last two dramas did decent business but this is KSH’S star power to have brought in mamy audience in the first episode itself.
It is definitely deserving of all the praises. The shots, cinematography, bgm ,ost ..it was eccentric.
Not to forget that chemistry between leads plus the over all acting by everyone is so great.. I specifically would like to pat on the back of the director, editor and the cameraman for engaging us in such a enjoyable way with those beautiful shots and angles.
The three TKEM directors need to take a lesson from this pd.
So far the story is intriguing and it definitely met all of the expectations which was required for the premier.
I m eagerly waiting for tonight’s episode
??.
This is amazing….Clap3
I don’t know, I find the premise is promising, but the execution is abit confusing. Might be it’s because it’s still the first episode. I find Backstreet Rookie is more enjoyable to watch.
Dont know why you needed to mention Backstreet rookie here it will only cause fan ear
@Lavinia, Well, they both a new show in the same week.
Backstreet is pornhub trash so thankfully Psycho exists for weekend watching.
I feel worry about this drama, many kdrama seems to try big and heavy topic but they don’t actually want to talk about it or explored it and then use “love” to cure it all. It’s not that I don’t have faith but I’ve seen it over and over and I just hope this isn’t the case.
Okay 1st episode, also, I feel like being a princess isn’t that bad, why must be a witch when a witch is usually someone who took the dark path and using “immoral” way, why not just become ourselves.
I still feel like being a princess isn’t necessarily equate to bad things
I went with low expectation and totally LOVED it seems like knetz (most) and inetz loved it too seeing as it was trending on Twitter for long
im Glad that the drama is on Netflix. OMG, The first episide was so good. i really love it.
I wonder what is KP’s opinion on modest ratings of Backstreet Rookie and the current backlash it is receiving from K-netz. Last time I checked, there are already 26,000 petition to cancel the drama. That is so pathetic.
Can you give me the link of Petition…just want to check
The ratings of BR are actually on the lower end for its time slot which usually garners more viewers. For example the same SBS dramas TKEM and Hyena which aired at the same time slot as BR premiered at double digits. So from the beginning I don’t think there weren’t any big expectations from this drama. Some netizens suspected that the production team were trying to do noise marketing with the controversy to bring attention to the drama.
That makes sense. Maybe the backlash is just a marketing strategy after all because the ratings are so dismal for the drama. It is done to make people curios about the drama.That’s a shitty strategy on their end.
if thats true then that would be an overly desparate move on part the part of network to increase CSSB’s ratings. Cant blame them since the first part of pilot episode had less than 5% viewership rating. But truth be told, i was suprised by it. I mean, who wouldnt be surprised? they are considered as popular actors in Douth Korea. and as far as i know, correct me if im wrong, there is competition-
huuh, this drama is so controversial from the casting news up to this time.
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*no competition
I think the premier episode ratings depends on both star power as well as the performance of the preceding dramas. For ex- TWOM had the highest opening for any JTBC series despite not having much hype, eventhough I agree that KHA is a veteran .This is due to Itaewon Class Effect..
Whereas Stove League touched 20 pc in the end and hence Hyena premiered with double digits next week. Hyena ended at around 14-15 pc and this combined with LMH-KES power ensured double digits for TKEM premier.
However from second episode onwards it entirely depends on the quality of the drama and thus TWOM , Hyena’ s rating curve went higher whereas it was opposite with The King. TKEM ended with 5-8 pc.. so it was not surprising that BR opened to single digits.
I haven’t watched BR yet so can’t comment on it but I have noticed the commotion around it.
From what I read in reviews people found some parts to be offensive but this doesn’t mean the drama should be cancelled..There are many people who worked so hard for it.
Everyone works hard for a drama but if it hurts the sentiments of people why should it not be cancelled?
@JJ I honestly want to know in what ways did it hurt people’s sentiments.Will you care to elaborate as I haven’t watched that drama.
@A
if k netz did not like the 1st Ep, they should just ignore/boycott the drama right? why request for cancellation? This is my first time to hear that a drama is being requested to be cancelled by “viewers” so i’m quite confused. hihihi.
The drama itself is pathetic so who can blame them. The petition is on the SBS board just go to their official website. They even want the videos taken down.
My feelings about the pilot episode of this drama are ambiguous. I neither hate it nor like it. I guess proceeding episodes will solidify my feelings on this one way or another. Good things I can say about this episode is that Kim Soo Hyun rocks. Seo Ye Ji is damn pretty and has such a sexy voice. I have always been in love with her thick black hair, it shines so much in ALL her dramas. And she and KSH have explosive chemistry – which I expected from the stills. So, in conclusion, we’re off to a good start. I do think that there are subtle fantasy elements to the story, and I don’t mean the cgi, or the repetitively told fairy tale (what’s the point? Once was enough – repeatedly telling the same story three times in the same episode assumes that the audience is stupid or that there’s a need for fillers. I hope they don’t do that for the latter episodes ). I think the plot alludes to Seo Ye Ji’s character being a witch or possessing some kind of supernatural powers. The dialogue she had with KSH was interesting, and then the culprit dies that night. Go figure. There are good elements to this drama. If done right it might end up being a hit.
Wow! The first episode is unique and quite different. I’m so excited to the next episode.
I think the premiere episode was ok, but the premise is a little tricky. They can’t make it too light because of the mental health issues in the background, but I think if they make it too dark they might lose viewers?
Does anyone know if this drama is pre-produced or are they still shooting?
They are still shooting
The World of the Married is also a dark drama but viewers like it. I think it depends on how they execute the drama. Acting wise they are all good. Mental Issue is a still a taboo in SOuth Korea so I was happy they are doing this kind of drama like It’s okay that’s love. The story is interesting. It’s a healing drama so i’m looking forward for the next episode.
I want to binge watch this one but thats not an option for a Kim Soo Hyun drama is it? but goodness, it was soo good i can’t wait to for the next ep. I love the visual, the bromance , the bitchy female lead, and Kim Soo Hyun… Its just the first ep but i sincerely hope they continue to rise in terms of rating.
Seo yeji’s beauty carry hard ep 1 for me. Its kinda boring.
SYJ’s character is a pyschopath not a sociopath. She is calculative and very manipulative. If she’s a sociopath, she’d probably have killed her father or somebody.
I love everything about this drama so far. Better PD compared to TKEM. Both KSH and SYJ are impressive in their character and I’m liking the chemistry between them.
I’ll stay calm… the 1st episode was amazing but i wont praise it too much. Lets see how ep 2 works later.
Last time i praised a drama, it ended up failed so hard. *cough *born again* cough*
So, will keep calm and just watch it.
Hmmm… stronger storytelling, yes.
I hope that the FL character can be like benedict cumberbatch’s sherlock homes: sociopath but has the capability to love (in his own way)
i really really love this pairing and i shipped them so hard. they look very alike. seo yeji is sooooo beautiful.. while kim soo hyun is sooooo hot and handsome. i love seeing them more as compared to the lead in their rival backstreet rookies. i can’t find the chemistry in the other drama. and i felt so ctinged
I was right on target in my previous post about naming this drama “This crazy person is still likable to me” instead of the current title “It’s OK to Not Be OK.” The first episode is a beautifully done cinematographic art combined with good directing. The two visually stunning, talented main actors just make you want to gaze at them non-stop. But that’s where the attraction of the first episode stops for me personally. Showing children in a hospital mixed with mental care patients, and staffing them into a dark auditorium to listen to the depressing story of an obviously mentally disturbed author, is a no-no in real life, and should be in a drama too. No one checked prior to what kind of horror story the author is reading to the sick children who need uplifting stories and entertainment while recovering? Leave the kids out of it, they aren’t props. Sorry for ranting, I’m a family therapist.
You can’t mix ALL kinds of mental problems horrors, violence and autism (that requires different approach and tons of patience from caregivers) in one drama and hope to produce a watchable, even romantic atmosphere. I’m afraid the producers bit off more than they can chew in this one. Hope I’m wrong.
One more thing. For some naive female viewers. The scene in which the main female character practically goading the mental male patient into choking her, because she is trying to relive her horrid childhood memories. What is the purpose behind it? Do you know how many thousands of male viewers flock to porn sites to enjoy such scenes inflicted on females? We do not need Kdramas to mindlessly and casually display sexual violence camouflaged as “ just a crazy older relative doing what most abusive dads do, you should write a horror book and get over it.” It’s propaganda, brainwashing in my book. Are the writer and director that clueless?
I wish I could press “like” on both your comments a million times. And alas, even though your last question was rhetorical, I would surely dread to know the answer.
Right, this is what disturb me too.
They mixed everything and try to make it cool because it’s a heavy subject.
Also don’t mess with children, they don’t see the same world as the adult so let them know what happiness supposed to feel like. So many children doesn’t know what exactly is happy feeling and the main characters is praised for her “frank” attitude? No, do that to a teens that already know how to realised that people are all different than little children who just want to see fluffy stuff and heartwarming feeling.
Watched the 1st ep, and I have mixed feeling. The acting is good, but SYJ’s character is somewhat unbelievable. Love KSH’s TLC towards his brother. His acting is good, as expected.
That opening sequence itself was already a standout. This was such a breath of fresh air; so different from the usual stuff and so far, I’m loving it! Hope it continues to be awesome.
Huge drop for the second episode. I wonder if it will be reported here or will be glossed over?
For reference, both Goblin and CLOY had significant jumps in ratings from the first to the second episodes.
The first two episodes of this series are not as accessible to the viewing public. It’s basically too much style too little substance for me.
It feels more disturbing for me on how they use style over substance.
Hate to compare but that convenience store drama is an exaggerated comedy and everyone can see it while this drama try to make it like “realistic” but so far, all the heavy subject feels like a cherry for romantic comedy.
I love it. I loved the first two episodes. I haven’t been this excited for a drama since 2016.