“Agency” (대행사)
“Agency” tackles the old boys’ club. It also addresses the expectations placed on women at work and at home.
Category: Korean Dramas
“Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” (구미호뎐 1938)
A look at how “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” reflects on colonization.
“Bloodhounds” 사냥개들
“Bloodhounds” offers sweet bromance. But this K-drama also has a brutal take on morality.
“The Good Bad Mother” (나쁜엄마)
Like “Our Blues,” “My Liberation Notes” and “Reply 1988,” “The Good Bad Mother” is a slice-of-life series filled with quirky characters who are overly interested in each other’s business. They support each other, are jealous of each other’s children and talk smack about each other. But if an outsider dares to do the same, hell hath no fury like a neighbor scorned.
“Black Knight” (택배기사)
“Black Knight” takes place 40 years after a comet crashed into Earth, nearly destroying the entire population. The Korean series is clearly a parable for what could happen to our world if we don’t take better care of the most vulnerable among us.
“Joseon Attorney: A Morality” (조선변호사)
There has been an uptick in engaging K-dramas where the protagonist becomes a lawyer to avenge the wrongs committed against his family. “The Good Bad Mother” and “Divorce Attorney Shin” are set in the modern day era. “Joseon Attorney: A Morality” adds a twist to this conceit by taking us way back to the Joseon era (1392 to 1897), before Korea was called Korea and there was no Seoul — the city was known as Hanyang.
“Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” (야차)
A fast-moving action film, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” is a spy thriller full of special ops, backstabbing and political intrigue. Last year, I stopped watching about 20 minutes into the movie, because it didn’t hold my interest. But when I went back to it this year, I found it to be thoroughly entertaining. Is this a prestige film? Absolutely not. But it was a fun ride with a (straight-laced) fish-out-of-water concept.
“XO, Kitty” Tackles Adoption, Diaspora & Maintaining Korean Ties
“XO, Kitty” tackles adoption, diaspora and maintaining Korean ties. But is it any good? Not really.
“Somebody” (썸바디)
A psychological thriller that sounded much better than it actually is, “Somebody” revolves a serial killer (Kim Young-kwang) who uses a dating app to find his victims — and the app developer (Kang Hae-lim) who identifies with him, even after finding out his true identity.