Weekend Dramas My Demon and The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract Delivering Solid Entertainment of the Fated and Supernatural Romance But Ratings Starting to Pull Apart
Both My Demon and The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract premiered the same Friday three weeks ago and air on the same nights so it’s natural to compare them at least for ratings and entertainment value. I planned to watch both and 6-episodes in I am so addicted to both equally and thank the drama stars to have both around for different entertainment satisfaction. But ratings-wise, Park’s with Lee Se Young and Bae In Hyuk on MBC kicked off with 5.6% and has increased near steadily to the most recent episode being 9,6% so nearly doubling, while My Demon starring Kim Yoo Jung and Song Kang on SBS started off at 4.5% it’s dropped a bit and ranges from 3.4% to 4.2% but the most recent episode 6 went up to 4.7%. Both have supernatural, past lives, and contract marriage elements but Park’s has better supporting characters and a tight plotted story whereas My Demon hits more beats on chemistry and swoony attraction. It’s basically pick your dessert, savory with the cheese plate or sweet with your petit fours, either way it’s a happy consumption for me.
Yea sometimes it’s just indulge in the sweets even if it doesn’t make sense i.e. lousy acting and story plot
Loving both the dramas
But Park’s contract marriage is more fun and has better chemistry,maybe as it’s a 12 episode drama,it’s fast paced
When the news broke that Lee Seyoung and Bae Inhyuk would be the leads for TSOPMC, I knew they’d look good together BUT I didn’t expect their chemistry to be THIS GOOD. OMG. And it’s great that the plot keeps me at the edge of my seat. Like, I’ve finally found my kdrama crack after 2 years!! I hope the ratings of TSOPMC will keep rising and hit double digits because the leads promised us to host a radio show if it hits at least 10%!
Personnaly, I prefer My Demon, it’s more original.
TSOPMC is fun but the writing is weaker. I like BIH, he’s cute, but not very convincing in the cold part. Fortunately, it was a short period.
Ofc you will prefer My Demon when you worship Kim Yoo Jung we all know that haha. How is it more original when everything is cliche. Yikes! Even Mc Koala wrote that TSOPMC has “tight plotted story” while MD focuses on their cheesy storyline. And you always give backhanded compliment saying positive things like it’s fun and then negating it by saying but the writing is weak just to make your bias good. Ew! Do us a favor and go all out with the hate. You’re only kidding yourself.
@Clowns
Calm down. None of these people know or care that you exist.
TSOPMC’s rythm is faster because it has only 12 episodes. But for me, the story is pretty weak and more the character’s writing, the FL doesn’t look from Joseon except her speechm her maid doesn’t seem remember she’s not modern. The couple is super cute and it’s the only part that I really like. But how many times they will fall on each other during the 12 episodes?
I prefer the dialogues in My Demon, the hot and cold relationship between the leads is pretty funny. The story is slower and uses too many shoots of SK’s face but the tango scene was hilarious and very well filmed, like the pink wave, it was beautiful.
@Rina your point is? You’re funny like a kid wanted to be included in a conversation when she doesn’t even have an argument lol. I guess you care enough to reply to my comment when it’s not even for you. Thank you very much.
@Sayaris MD’s story is slower now. It must have been hard for you to say something negative about your fav’s series. I’m so proud of you. Good luck with you being fake always. I’ll leave you be now. I’m wasting my time.
@clown
You have a problem…
I don’t talk about the actresses because I like both of them. Both are good in their role. It’s all.
I’m not the hater, you are. Clearly you have an issue with KYJ and people who likes her.
Call me whatever you want a hater and everything. At least I’m honest about it unlike you who’s always hiding in the facade of your backhanded compliments. Clearly you’re a special type of hater who has something always negative to say but you’re mostly a FAKE.
Wow I swear this is the first time I saw a viewer said TSOPMC’s plot is weaker than MD. Knetz, Youtube, Pann, X, MDL: all saying the opposite. But yeah, people have different taste, so there’s nothing wrong.
Even if i prefer TSOPMC, as i said , i must say that i agree with you about the ladies (especially the maid) adapting so fast to modern world( she even knows how to use perfectly a stove when it took some time for me when i changed mine not too long ago, i’m pretty sure that she can assemble a IKEA furniture very fast too) . For My Demon , i still think that SK doesn’t fit the role . It reminds me of Lee Jong Suk in Big Mouth in which he couldn’t convince me by playing the “dangerous man” who everyone fears . Both dramas are entertaining to end the year joyfully .
u r really on the minority side abt the claim of MD’s originality. coz last time i checked, knetz especially claimed that it kind of copy goblin & hotel de luna. meanwhile, majority agree that PMC has a stronger plot.
it’s because sayaris is super biased lol she is a kyj defender through and through, so I won’t take her opinions seriously if the topic involves her dear kyj lmao. notice how she’s the only one saying my demon is better than the other drama and that it has a stronger writing which is just objectively wrong 😂
I’m not talking about the plot overall but the direction.
Neither of the shows are original this year that is the year of destined love with Island, See You in My 19th Life, Destined With You, Moon in the Day, A Good Day to be a Dog, etc. Both stories took place in the past and influences the present. They both had the contract mariage.
But My Demon has a better direction with a lot of humor, in this sense it’s more original for me.
TSOPMC is more traditional with in its direction and doesn’t bring a lot, for me the strong part is the couple. The other characters are over the top with Tae-Min (so edgy) and Jin Kyung actress who is playing the bad mother again after My Lovely Liar.
Baek In-Hyuk is surely a better actor than Song Kang, who lacks in the comedy part, but now the couple works better than at the beginning, with him depending of her for his powers.
I don’t know why I should have the same taste than other people here…
There goes sayaris again playing victim and pulling out bs and redefining words and going an around about way to always praise any project of her favorite as always good no matter what and always a class above others with similar devices. She has done that for every project while belittling the works of others
@rosie Of course, I will praise the projects I like. The opposite would be weird… I’m not belittling TSOPMC, I’m just saying I prefer My Demon. There is no big deal in that. I’m watching both of them and I have fun.
@Sayaris funny how you’re pertaining now to overall direction when you’re talking about the plot just earlier. Just how much twisting and changing of words can you do? And it’s funny because you’re comparing the ml of both dramas but can’t compare your precious YJ to the other lead actress because you can’t bring yourself to say something negative about your YJ to make it believable that you’re unbiased lol.
Are you serious Sayaris? lol
My demon is about as original as painting by number set lol My demon has a pretty cast but chemistry is low. But to argue that my demon writing is better and more original than MC is comical beyond comprehension lol
Some people like to blow up the tango scene but that scene was awkward filmed.
It’s a so so fun watch if you watch without thinking too much, there’s barely any plot.
I am sorry, but there is no way you can claim the writing for parks marriage is weak in comparison to my demon 😭. It is literally the one being carried by its plot as opposed to chemistry/visuals.
I guess it’s a question of taste.
In TSOPMC, I like the couple scenes but I’m not interested by the compagny battle and the poisonning… But I’m curious how they will settle between the past and the present.
In My Demon, I’m curious about who killed Madame Ju (I guess it’s the second lead, he looks too nice and why), how the leads are connected in the past, what he did as human to be chosen as a demon. I’m not so curious about the psychopath grandson, neither the guy who wears masks but shows his neck everywhere…
That’s… Nonsense?
You can enjoy a plot or not but whether it is original or weak really isn’t a question of taste. And My demon is painfully unoriginal.
@Nope
TSOPMC is not more original (time travel, contract mariage, destined lovers, etc) but it’s not the question. It’s how they use the elements.
I’m more curious about the story in My Demon than in TSOPMC that I watch for the cute couple only (and dimples).
Sorry , i don’t want to make sad the fans but am i the only one who don’t see the chemistry betwween the leads of My Demon . SK seems so frail next to KYJ with her healthy and youthful figure . As for Park’s marriage , the couple is cute and charming, the actor’s acting is much better and the story more interesting . Both dramas are pure entertainment . I ‘m beginning to watch Shin Hye Sun’s new drama and i’m happy to see the return of her natural hair color . In her last drama , her color didn’t suit her at all . I like the interactions between the friends , her sisters and mother are good . Knetizens should learn from this drama how a story has 2 sides and that a person is innocent until proven guilty !
@cahill
You’re not wrong. I love both leads individually but together there’s really no spark. And the plot is typical chaebol family drama with a supernatural twist. It’s been done to death in a million different ways, I’m considering dropping the drama. I may switch to Park’s marriage, but I’m more or less allergic to time travel plots which was why I didn’t pick it up in the first place.
Agree. Funny story I was watching My Demon Ep 5 and halfway through the drama I had an urge to go binge watch Love Alarm Ep 1-5 again. SK was a super rookie when he did that drama but so far watching his subsequent dramas after I still feel he has the best chemistry with Kim So Hyun ironically. Let me contend I have zero interest in any of the two kims and dun wish to be a part of the fan wars btw them. In fact they are my least favourite child stars these days as I feel both their acting has gone worse with their latest drama showings. I just started on Parks contract yesterday and finished all 6 eps in one sitting. Was BIH adverse before watching it tbh cos I dun find him a super good actor or stood out significantly in his past dramas so his rise to lead roles was too quick and that for me kind of a turn off as well. I take that back though. He has good chemistry with LSY despite her veteran status and the 6 year age gap btw them does not show at all (hes a 98 liner. Shocking really)… now this is the only show I am looking to eagerly for the next ep as well as the upcoming Gyeongsang Creature
I agree regarding Love Alarm. Song Kang’s character was actually quite toxic but everyone rooted for him to end up with the female lead because they had such amazing chemistry, to the point that people were overlooking some of Song Kang’s character’s red flags. No wonder Song Kang himself couldn’t stop bringing up Love Alarm in many interviews and he himself said he rewatched Love Alarm many times. Seems like it was really memorable for him and that he really enjoyed working on that drama
@cherry maybe its the script but he was just so sweet in it. His little aegyo expressions, his endearing himbo dialogue delivered with such airy fairy ernesty. So memorable. I actually watched love alarm season 1 six times (just eps 1-5. The way she broke up with him and his pitiful begging later on was too heartbreaking. I cannot bring myself to watch those eps again). Hence I did not watch season 2 also.
@Gwen yeah I totally get what you mean! I find that post Love Alarm, Song Kang has been marketed as a hot hunk, but I prefer him in his Love Alarm era where he’s a great mix of cute/endearing and hot 😌
I also liked him in Navillera and in his drama with PMY
@cahill, you’re not the only one. I’m lackluster about My Demon perhaps because of unconvincing “chemistry” between the OTP. I’m still following it but just feel so easily distracted by other dramas. LOL
Thank God somebody said this! The pre-release trailers promised chemistry but when I actually watched the show, the chemistry overall felt lack Lustre. But everyone is just raving about it, so I thought it was just a me thing.
couldn’t agree more abt the pre released teaser. tbh, I’m attracted to watch MD when they released the 1st teaser abt the wedding scenes. my thoughts back then ‘wow.. both look so devilish & emitted a devil aura’. but then when i watched the drama.. my thoughts was..the fl doesn’t gave a develish aura at all as stated in character description.. & i become disinterested when seeing the fl was saved by the ml again and again. it gave me a damsel in distress vibe. as for the chemistry, i really felt it in the teaser. but in the drama itself, not really.
I found I’ve had hard time rooting for the OTP in My Demon. Not sure why. Is that bcos the writing not interesting enough or acting not convincing enough? I’m just lukewarm about following the drama and constantly switched to other dramas.
Me too, @Somebody, i tend to switch to other dramas and still watching My Demon when i’m having trouble sleeping . I think that 12 episodes would have been enough . Castaway Diva was well packed with just 12 episodes .
Ah no comparison with Castaway Diva. One is a fine piece of art and the other is a cheap artefact. LOL. Sorry fans! Now I’m even switching to a C drama. What the heck! Can’t believe this is ME. LMAO.
Me.. Although i am not fond of time-travelling and romantic comedy, I love Park’s Marriage, as the cast are definitely better and yes..they have different characters. Plus, it has a bit of saeguk element, though it is fantasy. The director has definitely chosen the cast well, thus able to continue the success of MBC, right after the successful My Dearest.
I finally overcame my prejudice about time travel and gave Parks Marriage Contract a chance last night. I thought it would put me to sleep like My Demon does. Boy! Was I wrong!! I ended up marathoning all six episodes last night and slept at 4 am! Now I’m so tired at work! LOL!! But it’s so worth it. Lee Se young just shines (she’s just so beautiful), with the combination with Bae In-hyuk has their comedic timing down to a T. The plot is unpredictable and moves quite quickly keeping the viewer engaged and at the edge of their seat. Word of mouth is not wrong in this case! I finally dropped My Demon which I was wasting my time with and got onboard for this drama. It’s everything that My Demon isn’t – well written, well acted, fast paced with an intriguing plot. I can’t wait for next week!
Pretty disappointed by My Demon. On the outset I would’ve bet I’d continue My Demon and drop TSOPMC, based on the more interesting premise and strong cast. But after watching 2 eps, I am hooked with TSOPMC and on the verge of dropping My Demon (giving it til eps 4). Song Kang is just too whiney and immature to be an all powerful 200 year old demon, while Kim Yoo Jung failed to pull off the Devil Wears Prada persona and is template KYJ in every drama instead (not complaining about the chemistry tho, i have very low threshold for this lol)
just to share this information to those MD fans who are making a conspiracy theory that the rating was manipulated by the competitors as I’ve seen in X. the truth is, knetz just simply didn’t prefer the drama. as a simple as that. this is supported by how the drama rank back & forth in Netflix now in South Korean region, as shown in flix patrol. their reasons are: despite the good visual, they said SK can’t act, awkward tone & acting, & unsuited role by KYJ, boring plots, Goblin & Hotel De luna immitation, Mr Queen writer, weird directing, weird dialogues etc. If the dramas is truly enjoyable by knetz, both TV rating & OTT ranking would be equally higher, just like how Under the Queen Umbrella rank 1 as well in SK Netflix during their airing time. So, I hope MD fans should have a reality check that Knetz & Inetz sometimes have a different taste & preference abt what kind of drama that are truly enjoyable to them. and not accusing the competitor’s drama for having a foul play. tbh, i feel content & happy that this drama has a good reception globally coz I’m fond of Song Kang despite of his acting skills. but it’s a big no to accuse other dramas for manipulating the rating as claimed by some of MD fans.
https://www.instiz.net/name_enter/90138842
https://theqoo.net/hot/3030143322
https://theqoo.net/hot/3016018515?filter_mode=normal&page=10
https://www.instiz.net/name_enter/90158875?page=1&category=3&srt=3&k=
https://www.instiz.net/name_enter/90190430?page=12&category=3&srt=3&k=
Bcoz the reality is, PMC is really the current hit drama in SK. they’re always in the trending topic in the SK forum platforms like the qoo, pann, & instiz. And all of them are positive feedbacks. even PMC and Lee Saeyoung naver articles alone can reach thousands of likes. Their reasons are: good acting by both leads especially Lee Saeyoung, good chemistry between the leads, good visuals & good plots. the combination of these factors alone is one of the reasons why PMC rating is high. and yes, they didn’t manipulate the rating as some of the MD fans claims.
https://theqoo.net/hot/3014615308?filter_mode=normal&page=7
https://theqoo.net/hot/3031087887?filter_mode=normal
some of naver articles with thousands likes.
https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/117/0003794106
https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/312/0000638523
thus, reading the positive feedbacks abt PMC, it’s no doubt that it will be the next MBC hit drama after My Dearest 😊 Anyway, congratulations for PMC for having a domestic success while MD for having a global success.
thank you for writing out something like this. I roll my eyes every time people say “low ratings are BS/ irrelevant since people watch in OTT”. in reality, if the drama is really a hit, it will rank highly both in tv ratings and OTT rankings. a lot of times, a drama can be a hit internationally but perform so so in Korea since it just doesnt appeal to them (usually this is the case when they have drop dead gorgeous leads but poor/ cliched plot and meh chemistry)
it’s ok to mourn for having the low rating. it’s understandable. but saying that MD rating was manipulated is just too pathetic. well, some even said “who cares abt rating these days? they’re doing well internationally” <<<– these are just a pathetic liars and sounds so immature. coz at the end of the day, they're the one who'll celebrate if MD tv rating has risen. i think they're just better shut up and not says something like that; or don't say anything about rating at all coz they aren't only lying to themselves, but others as well. just move on and don't focus on tv rating. have a reality check as well.
Bless people like you who actually bring in the receipts, numbers, and data. Facts >>> feelings always. No amount of crying from a certain fandom can change facts 😎
Yay, about time Lee Se Young has a hit drama! I’ve always found her a very underrated but excellent actress. Even though the red sleeve was a big hit, everyone just talked about the male lead, which was kinda the fault of the writing as it focused too much on the male lead. She deserves all the success!
Shes so so pretty and every time she comes onscreen its hard not to gush over her visuals. I really like her here and her chemistry with BIH is really good. Can feel her heartbreak over seeing him again and though their connection was short in the sageuk era but its quite poignant.
Yes her visuals is so angelic for real, my eyes are blessed everytime she appears on screen 😭
Post-TRS, Lee Seyoung is genuinely a ratings puller. Even her last drama managed decent ratings for how mediocre it was. She deserves the recognition <3
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As if rating determined what a good drama is. And some people just regard too highly of south korean taste just based on fluffy drama has low rating.
There is alot of good drama has low rating just there is many bad drama has good rating. Talk about penthouse with crazy high rating despite the plot is a mess. It’s all about memontum guys.
I always find it interesting when a drama will be a hit in Korea and then practically unknown outside it. Or vice versa, where the I-fans will adore a drama and meanwhile inside Korea, it’s like, ho-hum.
Demon is all kinds of over-the-top tropey–it feels like Twilight dipped in Kdrama cliches–but for some reason I’m still watching, lol. There’s something inherently entertaining about watching the horror on the demon’s face as he slowly realizes he just…might…have some feelings for this human he keeps trying to dismiss.
PMC also has a supernatural element and a contract marriage, but it has its own charm. The ML has been a bit wooden so far in the modern timeline, but he’s starting to break, which is fun. I’m still waiting on Grandpa’s intentions to unfold, as he really pushed for this marriage, only now it seems he’s pushing in the opposite direction? Also, I felt like the board of directors overreacted to Tae Ha getting married. But it’s a *drama*, so I guess we should expect illogical things to happen. I feel like the story is more complex in this one, at least up front, so I think the storylines will diverge as they go on. In any case, I’m fairly entertained with both dramas, for me there is no need to dismiss one over the other, as both have some draws and some weaknesses.
Really enjoying Park’s Marriage Contract. Didn’t expect to love the chemistry between Lee Seyoung and Bae Inhyuk this much despite the lackluster writing. Acting from both is much better than My Demon too, in my opinion. Lee Se Young and Park Eun Bin are two of the former child actors to have transitioned into adult roles almost flawlessly.
Super enjoying My Demon! The chemistry is just so fine! Kim yoo kung was stunning during the wedding scene!
Which drama will you watch first because they are both dropped pretty much at the same time (every Fri & Sat)? For me, I will choose Park’s Marriage first because the story is fun, both leads can act, overall cast is great, and the ending can be quite unexpected because the back story is very rich with unsolved mystery/crime (in my opinion). My Demon is so predictable, I can already tell it will be a happy ending, the cast is weaker as compared to Park’s Marriage, and it is getting quite boring and the story is dragging like an old rag…
I started to watch Park’s Marriage Contract. I’m just at ep1. I guess this is a typical idol drama perhaps with many recycled tropes? But I like LSY’s acting which appears more appealing to me than KYJ in My Demon. For a typical idol drama, I’d expect an appealing gravity to the acting. Given LSY’s performance in The Red Sleeve, I’d bet on her for this one too. I’m having fun so far.
Cdrama comment sections have become a cesspool. I need to get out there and have some fun with Kdrama. LOL. Seriously, Cdrama fans can’t tolerate very common discussions about drama including actors, acting, and whatnot. There’s so much insanity going on over there. In Kdrama section, we have very engaging discussions about real drama. But over there, Cdrama fans created more drama than reel drama. LMAO.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with the comments re My Demon leads lacking onscreen chemistry. I actually really like Song Kang, but I feel like he doesn’t gel with the FL – she’s professional and friendly but always seems cautious of him in the BTS..? Don’t know how to explain it or even if I’m imagining things…