First of all, my sincere apologies to any of you who might have been saving your votes for the final day of voting; the poll closed earlier than I intended (at the beginning of 23 February, rather than at the end of 23 February), oops! 🤭 This is my first time using this poll plug-in, so I didn’t realize that that’s how the settings work. When I realized my mistake and tried to extend the poll, I found that I couldn’t. My bad, guys. I promise it won’t happen again! 😅
Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll; Dr. Romantic came out on top, with 136 votes, woot! In second place, While You Were Sleeping came in with 126 votes.
At the same time, while all the voting was going on, my fangirl heart was seriously swayed by all the effusive love for Jang Hyuk that was being poured out on the final Chuno Open Thread – and I couldn’t help but want to rewatch Money Flower, even though it was clearly not going to win the poll.
So.. we will be having not one, but TWO group watches on the site! Surprise..? 😉
The experiment
Ok, to be honest, this is all a bit of an experiment, because I’ve never actually attempted to host two group watches at the same time. However, I do think it’s a worthwhile experiment, to compare what it’s like to host a group watch where I haven’t yet seen the show, but the show itself is very popular and well-loved, and compare that to hosting a group watch where I have seen the show, and am confident that I will love it to the very end.
Feel free to join both group watches (like me! 😉), if you are able, since I think both shows are worthy watches, or, feel free to pick the one you prefer. Or, try both out for a bit, and then settle on one. I’m just very happy that you guys are excited to do this. ❤️
In the sections below, I outline for each show, the schedule, availability and reasons to watch. If you know of other streaming sources that I haven’t mentioned, or if you’re passionate about the shows and want to help stir up some excitement for them to draw in more group watchers, feel free to share in the comments below!
PS: Remember that you can always use Opera’s free, built-in, unlimited VPN to get around geo-restrictions. A tutorial on that can be found here, and an article on why it’s not illegal to use a VPN to access legal streaming content can be found here.
Group Watch 1: Dr. Romantic
Schedule: Wednesdays, starting 3 March 2021. Posts will go live at 8:00am, my time (GMT+8)
Commitment: 20 episodes. 2 eps per week = 10 weeks
Availability: Available for free on Kocowa, iQIYI and Viu. Also available on Viki, if you have Viki Pass Plus.
Why you should watch:
I hear this one is heartwarming, exciting and highly engaging, and is appealing, even if you aren’t actually a fan of medical dramas. Also, Han Seok Kyu is reportedly fantastic in this. I also hear that there’s some head-turning, crackling chemistry between Yoo Yeon Seok and Seo Hyun Jin.
(I’m sorry that I have less to say about this show than Money Flower, but that’s only because I haven’t watched it yet! 😅 Feel free to help me out in the comments! 😉)
Also, in case you’re wondering, I will not be writing a separate review for Dr. Romantic, because everything I have to say would already be in the Open Thread posts. However, I do plan to give it a final verdict and final grade in the last Open Thread.
Trailer:
Dr. Romantic Open Threads:
I’ll be linking the Open Threads here, for easy reference. You’ll also be able to find the Open Thread links on my Full List page.
E1&2 | E3&4 | E5&6 | E7&8 | E9&10 | E11&12 | E13&14 | E15&16 | E17&18 | E19&20
Group Watch 2: Money Flower
Schedule: Saturdays, starting 6 March 2021. Posts will go live at 8:00am, my time (GMT+8)
Commitment: 24 episodes. 2 eps per week = 12 weeks.
Availability: Available for free on Kocowa. Also available on Viki, if you have Viki Pass Plus.
Why you should watch:
Show is tightly written, gripping, and satisfying to the very end (unlike other revenge dramas I’ve watched), and has a hauntingly effective OST to score it all. Also, Jang Hyuk is truly fantastic in this. I always thought Chuno would hands-down be his most iconic role, but I was so blown away by his performance in this, that I had to reassess whether this outing is perhaps even more brilliant than his turn in Chuno. Ultimately, I think this outing at least matches his brilliance in Chuno – and is worth a watch on that merit alone, heh. 🤩 But Show itself is great too, and everyone else in it, honest! Lee Mi Sook is especially commanding and intriguing, and makes a great foil for Jang Hyuk. When they share the screen, it feels like electricity is always sparking beneath the surface, getting ready to blow up in your face. 🤩
Money Flower review is here.
Trailer:
Money Flower Open Threads:
I’ll be linking the Open Threads here, for easy reference. You’ll also be able to find the Open Thread links on my Full List page.
E1&2 | E3&4 | E5&6 | E7&8 | E9&10 | E11&12 | E13&14 | E15&16 | E17&18 | E19&20 | E21&22 | E23&24
In closing
..That’s about it, really! Now that we’ve got our group watch shows selected, please go forth and enjoy your first couple of episodes – and remember to tune in for the Open Thread posts, going live next week! ❤️
