The arrival of Shilla flower boys is a little less than two weeks ago and I don’t know if KBS is relieved that the very low rated The Man Living in Our House is ending or worried that it’s sunk cost pre-filmed sageuk Hwarang is still going to have to go up against the tail end of the big Mon-Tues ratings juggernaut Romantic Teacher, Doctor Kim. Premiering on December 19th with a streaming simulcast in China, the drama just feels bipolar to be in terms of tone. It’s mostly silly slapstick type stuff but a small kernel of seriousness, with not enough balance in the previews to make me feel anything substantive from the narrative scope. The hwarang training is particularly eyeball rolling, the only part I liked was a young trainee idol worshipping Park Seo Joon’s character, too bad Park Seo Joon looks super out of place in sageuk garb whereas Park Hyung Sik seems more at ease in character. Continue reading →