Look carefully. If there was ever one reason for me to stick with the duller than beans Goddess of Fire Jeongi, this gorgeous young man is it. Despite being optimistic that GoF would be at least decent, so far the Moon Geun Young sageuk about the life of a famed Joseon potter is about as interesting as watching paint dry. It’s by-the-books on every plot point from the meet cute of the OTP (they fall on top of each other not once but twice!), the birth secret, the rivalry of royal potters, the love quadrangle, the jealous girl from the neighborhood, the caring protective neighborhood oppa – you name it, this baby has got it! It’s such a shame because its squandering the elder cast already in Jeon Kwang Ryeol and Jung Bo Seok, so imagine what calamities will befall the main leads when Moon Geun Young and Lee Sang Yoon arrive to take over. The childhood cast has been shockingly inept – Jin Ji Hee is hands down the worst child K-actress of her generation with her tendency to overact like her paycheck depended on it, and normally very solid Noh Young Hak and Park Gun Tae can’t overcome how terribly written the dialogue and plot points are for their characters. I would be laughing if it didn’t pain me so much to see all this talent flushed down the drain in the hands of a hack scriptwriter and boring PD. For a drama about pottery, this drama has no fire in its soul. It’s like a wet blanket and one sniff and I just want to run away. But of course I’ll stay to check out the adults, it is my beloved Moon Geun Young and I stuck through all of Cheongdamdong Alice for her. But I’m really annoyed by how immature, presumptuous, and rash her character Yoo Jung is. I hope the adult version matures a bit and actually develops an interesting personality because right now all she does is get herself and people around her in trouble constantly. The only character I like so far is Kim Bum‘s Kim Tae Do, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and at least a confident understanding of what he wants in life – Yoo Jung and to become a skilled warrior. I dig that. Just like I totally dig Kim Bum in this sageuk get-up. Some folks can rock the Joseon yangban wear such as Im Joo Hwan as the perfect Park Kyu in Tamra the Island. Others need more warrior stylings and I’m finding a bit of my excitement coming back for this drama after seeing these just released stills of Bummie filming. Continue reading →