[…] Time really flies; we are already getting ready to wrap up our group watches of Stranger (Secret Forest) and Secret Love Affair! […]

[…] enjoyed his outing in 2020’s Someday Or One Day (which is an amazing show, by the way – and we’re planning a group watch of it too, so do join us!), and I was excited to see him switch it up from beta second male lead, […]

Hello! Popping up from a long silence to say hi (I’ve been having a super busy, trying time at work). What a meaty and thought provoking line up of shows you’ve chosen! I loved Someday or One Day, so might rewatch with the group watch. Between Stranger, SLA and My Mister I suspected Stranger would be less emotionally fraught. I’m looking for an easy watch now so I’ve started Stranger, will be all ready for your first post on Wed!

Some lens suggestions for episode one SLA.

1. Take the time to appreaciate the camera work and film editing. Show has spectacular interior compositions, especially, one after another. Really high level work. One wishes to see a collection of the compositions on the walls of a really excellent gallery. And the homey grittiness of the lower class settings are a wonderful chiaroscuro to the ultra elegant finish taking place in the upscale locations. Shots are often quite simple, and always arresting. Show is about music, but music could be considered a stand in for art in general. Show is visually arresting.
2. Go to one of those sites where you can see the list of characters along with photos. First episode is daunting because you meet as many characters as you might in the opening chapters of a 19th Century Russian novel. It really helps to figure out who is whom, K, I must say NIF has nothing on SLA in terms of the work you have ahead of you with Episode one.
3. Like the cinematic compositions, pay attention to the clothing people are wearing. Fashion designer does a bang up job using clothing to enhance characterization with tells about style and class, not to mention pecking orders among the characters.
4. Try to begin to get at the relationships, hierarchies, among the characters, and how through this very narrow slice of life there are some highly unlikely, but coincidental connections leading to an uncanny chain of events all closing out at Sun Jae coming to audition before Hye Won as a favor to her husband. Show is non stop presenting character, and does so through a variety of strategies, and great understated, shifting perspectives that accumulate.
5. Remember Sun Jae is 19 years old.

Anyway I hope these lens tips help a viewer. The first couple times I watched show I was a bit impatient in Episode one because I was a bit overwhelmed by all the information in that episode, and so did not pay as close attention to it all as I might have. But it is an excellent introductory chapter to this story, and there is much to take delight in.

Episode 2, all I can say about that lens: the same as above, and just dig it.

Yay, Stranger! Such a smartly written show, and one that uses the plot structure of a crime show to explore much bigger questions about how the systems humans create can become self-sustaining monsters and how difficult it can be for even well meaning people to dismantle them. Also, I could watch Bae Doo Na and Jo Seung Woo’s characters just hang out together for hours and be perfectly happy.

Hi all. I really appreciate this solution. For me, it means each set will have one choice I am really into. In fact, my two all time favorite contemporary K Dramas, SLA & MM. So thanks so much K.

I will likely be out of it at the time of the first post on SLA, but I believe there is a lot of lens adjusting I can bring to the table vis a vis especially episode one, so my plan will be to watch the first couple episodes this weekend, and if it is okay with KFG, I will email her my post for the first week, albeit I have serious doubts I will be able, alas, to put in a back and forth with folk, though by midweek the next week I should be able to get on line and read commentary.

Yay! I am so excited to finally join the group watch. I think I’ll watch all of them except SLA. I didn’t get on with SLA last time I watched it, though I admit I didn’t watch the last few episodes. Nothing really wrong with the show, I think I just have a strong personal bias against younger man older woman loves tories, which made it a hard watch for me.

Stranger might be my fave drama. For me, the appeal of Stranger is all about the characters, in particular the two leads. As others have mentioned, it’s a slow burn. You will either find the male lead boring or fascinating, and if you find him boring you will probably have a tough time with the show.

all is good in the asian dramas land, all is under control in the domain of fangirl, all is fixed in the club of faithful followers. kudos and i bow my head again.

YES! I will finally get to finish SLA! I have quit watching somewhere in the show’s middle, because as others have mentioned, watching this is so taxing emotionally. I think a group watch will help me relieve the stress!
The other 3, I have not watched, all 3 are on my watching list, now I only have to find time enough to watch them!

I’ve actually watched all of these group watch dramas. Forest of Secrets/Stranger and Secret Love Affair are two of my all time faves and I’m kinda tempted to rewatch both to see if I still love them as much as I did back in the day. 🙂

Like others have already mentioned, FoS may need some viewing lens adjustments to be made as it IS pretty slow paced and more character driven than most crime shows tend to be. Annnnd there is no romance, not even a whiff of it. Plenty of camaraderie and teamwork though, which I personally prefer over anything romantic anway.

SLA is a masterpiece but gosh, is it emotionally taxing. I was farely obsessed with it and could.not.stop constantly thinking about it. I watched most of the episodes at least twice and wrote several posts too as I just had to air my “feels” somewhere. 😀 I actually read through the posts earlier today and it all came back in a rush, ha. This is such an intelligent, adult drama. Might be the best by PD Pan Ahn Seok/ writer Jung Sung Joo (though I probably like Heard It Through the Grapevine a tad more because it’s a satire and rather hilarious in places).

Hi,
Thank you for choosing my favorite two dramas, namely My Mister & SLA for the open discussion. I recently finished watching SLA and I’m in love with it. Eagerly waiting to share my views and understand others’ opinions of this masterpiece. It’s for the first time I’m participating in an open thread.

Brilliant, kfangurl! I will watch Secret Love Affair and then Someday or One Day along with you. Ah, romance ♥ I do need my fix 😊
I will also comment when you post on Stranger and then My Mister. Having seen both those shows and pretty recently, I don’t think I’m emotionally ready to watch them again so soon! But I will still enjoy commenting and reading your thoughts and everyone else’s. Stranger is a tricky show and there are definite aspects I was less than keen on but it is very, very good – and as for My Mister, as you say, a legit masterpiece 😍

It’s funny because I didn’t even consider You’re Beautiful in the previous two polls but now that it hasn’t been mentioned, I was curious and ended up watching and loving it.

I’ll probably be lurking and reading posts only for the first round (unless the discussions change my mind). I like Stranger well enough but I don’t understand the overwhelming love for it (is it like Healer where international fans like it more than domestic fans?).

But the second round, I’m looking forward to because both My Mister and Someday or One Day are on my list (and I have yet to get the motivation to start them).

Yay for group watches!

A wise decision, indeed, KFG, that both honors the votes cast and allows some future planning. I will get right to work!

Three of these are new to me but all were on my neverending watch list. Oh, wait, make that four. For a second I thought that I had already seen “Someday or One Day”, but I was confusing me for somebody else.

KFG you are wise woman indeed! Great solution that I believe meets most of our needs.

And yay a watchalong of SLA and My Mister!! Perfect, it feels Christmas has come early.

So I have watched Stranger recently as I didn’t think it would ever get picked for a watchalong and as it quite recent I will give it a miss but in terms of helping others. I would say show deals with political machinations of Law and Order and big business in Korea. And does a fantastic job in fleshing out inter personal relationships of work colleagues.

The leads have this deep mutual respect and friendship going on. In term of words of warning do not go in expecting huge plots and twists and roller coaster of emotions this isn’t Beyond Evil it is its much reliable older Uncle, full of interesting stories but tells it them at his own pace without embellishment. I found it fascinating but I can see people dropping if they are expecting a Makjang drama.

Oh man! This is both the best and the worst for me. Best because you actually picked all the 3 shoes I voted for (yes! Exactly all 3 of my votes! Did you read my mind?!) plus My Mister which is my all time favourite show and I would love to rewatch it. Your choices were all so good!

Bad because now I need to figure out how to commit to 4 drama episodes a week?! 😱 Problems problems…

Anyway thanks Fangirl for working out a very good solution! Gonna be a great couple of drama months ahead with high quality shows!

Fantastic Solution, KFG!!! Thank you so very much 🙂 Looking forward to all of them since I have seen 2 and waiting to watch 2!

Ah, I love your solution, speaking just for myself, since there are two I’ve seen and two I haven’t; I’m looking forward to the ones I haven’t seen, and the ones I have are high quality.

Really looking forward to some high-power discussion on these…seeing what the Stranger hype is all about…seeing if SLA lives up to the universal praise it gets…wallowing once again in the My Mister feels…hopefully figuring out all the wrinkles of just what is happening in Someday or One Day with the help of the Hive Brain.

Whew. Gotta clear some space on my drama plate, for sure. Let’s go!