This might be the weakest Mon-Tues line up in recent memory with all three dramas neither getting any buzz nor ratings. Temptation is actually intriguing without being tawdry but the subject matter isn’t for everybody while Lovers of Music (Trot Lovers) has a plot written by a monkey who watched too many K-dramas and is pasting together the worst tropes into one story. Records of a Night Watchman has turned out to be quite watchable and I say that with a huuuuge caveat. It reminds me of 80’s HK-period movies with slightly better CGI but the same supernatural hokiness permeating the plot and entertaining overacting on larger than life roles. This thing has human looking ghosts, spectral black fog thingie ghosts, wizards dressed as aging rock stars, a serpent dragon monster flying through the air before turning to stone, ghost horses and demon stone fighting machines, a King getting possessed and going rapey and homicidal all over, and generally so much cheese you can heat up a pot and make fondue. I went in expecting cheese so I found the first three episodes creamy and salty when spread on the crackers of logic tossed out the window.

I’m planning to keep watching until the story or acting goes down the drain but so far it’s decently entertaining. The adults have just shown up in episode 3 and it’s a mixed bag of acting charisma but none of the four are so bad as to ruin the watch. Jung Il Woo is smirky fun while Seo Ye Ji must’ve studied tapes of Lee Yoo Bi in Gu Family Book because she’s hitting it out of the park playing the sure to turn bad second female lead. Yunho is surprisingly okay so far and looks great in a hanbok and among the four leads Go Sung Hee is the awkward to watch weak link. Her acting is dull and listless and she looks terrible in the hair and outfit of her spirit girl character. On the villains side both Kim Sung Oh and Kim Heung Soo are doing a thumbs up job while Choi Won Young was a scene stealer as the gone-crazy King. Aside from my two cents on the drama so far, I find MBC making an effort on the promotions and this week the network released a batch of so so cute BTS snapshots of the cast being cute and cuddly on the set. I don’t think this drama will turn into something great but as an off-beat hokey fantasy bit it makes for chill watch option. Continue reading →