New K-drama Alert: Angry Mom and Sensory Couple/Girl Who Sees Smells

Remember in my last post how I was like, "Blah blah I'm too fancy to care about Angry Mom or Sensory Couple"?

I take it back. Here's why:

Angry Mom

Premise: A mom with a feisty past (Kim Hee Sun) discovers that her daughter is being bullied. When the authorities refuse to help, she takes matters into her own hands, going undercover as a teenager at the school.

Episodes watched: 1-4

Thoughts so far: Four episodes in, and I'm in love. The whole thing could have been a silly mess, but it's a much smarter, more serious series than I initially gave it credit for. This premise won a screenwriting competition, and I can see why. Even after a few episodes, I feel like I've known some of these characters forever. 

Favorites? Obviously the magnificent Kim Hee Sun, who somehow manages to look far more like a grumpy teenager than she has any right to look. She even has the grumpy teenager slouch down perfectly.

Runner up is Bok Dong (Ji Soo), the resident bad boy. I have a feeling he's going to make me shed more than a few tears.

I am going to dock some points for the K-drama coincidence parade. It's fine if you have a couple of big reveals, but so far it's looking like everyone will have some amazing surprise connection to absolutely everyone else (I'm looking at you judge/teacher daddy). 

This series is much darker than it looks, but it's handling heavy subject matter like bullying and sexual assault with the weight it deserves. The lighthearted and comedic moments feel like a necessary breath of fresh air, and I don't fee jolted by shifts in tone like I do in other dramas.

Sensory Couple/Girl Who Sees Smells

Premise: After a tragic event, a woman (Shin Se Kyung) wakes up from a coma to discover that she can see smells. A police officer (Yoochun) who loses his sister in the same event finds that he has lost his ability to feel pain.

Episodes watched: 1

Thoughts so far: It's just the premiere, so it's not like I can say that much, but it's cute! 

I mean, with a title like Girl Who Sees Smells, it could have been way worse. Yeah, the cartoon smells floating around are as ridiculous as you would expect, but I'm happy to report that her visions weren't the focus of the first episode.

Granted, a bunch of people get murdered within the first eight minutes of the series (cue sad trombone), but after that, it's quirky, fast-paced, and fun. I expected to hate Shin Se Kyung, but she actually fits her role well so far. I pretty much always have zero feelings either way about Yoochun, and...I also have zero feelings about him in this series at this point.

Is it the next Citizen Kane? No. But will it make you feel like spring is here? Yes. Basically, if Angry Mom makes you too depressed, watch this as a chaser. Except for all of the murdered people (cue sad trombone again).

Stray observation (possibly spoiler-y): Was anyone else bothered by the cop just adopting her and changing her name and pretending he had been her dad for her whole life? I'm assuming it's a witness protection kind of thing, but still....

Anyone else watching? Tell me your thoughts so far!

Looking Ahead: What Will You Be Watching?

Confession: I started five different dramas this cycle, and I didn't end up sticking with any of them. For some reason, the only one that stuck was Heart to Heart, and even with that one, I'm still four episodes behind. Do you ever have drama cycles like that?

The upside of suddenly becoming insanely fickle is that skipping out on a full round of dramas almost acts like a palate cleanser, and it makes me even more excited for the upcoming shows. Since it feels like every drama for the rest of the year is in the middle of casting right now, I'm extra excited, and I want to know what dramas have caught your eye.

Let's weigh some of our options, shall we?

1. Angry Mom

Premise: A feisty mom (Kim Hee Sun) discovers that her daughter is being bullied, so she goes undercover as a student to get back at the bullies.

Premiere date: March 18 (Next week!)

Impressions: In no universe would Kim Hee Sun ever pass as a teenager. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about what appears to be a loveline between her and Ji Hyun Woo. So he gets to feel icky for the first half of the series for having a crush on his student, and then he gets to feel icky for the second half of the series when that student turns out to be a married ahjumma? Poor guy.

But then. This trailer.

Ok, so maybe Kim Hee Sun still doesn't look like a teen, but holy moly, she did pretty well. And I have a soft spot in my heart for female leads who love to swear.

Verdict: Probably yes, but only because it premieres two weeks ahead of anything else I want to watch.

2. Falling for Innocence

Premise: A cold corporate headhunter (Jung Kyung Ho) gets a heart transplant and then finds himself falling for his secretary (Kim So Yeon). They're also in a love triangle with her lifelong best friend (Yoon Hyun Min).

Premiere date: April 3

Impressions: I'm in love with the posters and teasers. They're playful and sexy and have Jung Kyung Ho and Yoon Hyun Min on them. What could possibly deter me?

Oh, yeah. The whole "the organ I got from a dead person is still in love with you" thing, which might be my least favorite thing of all the things.

Verdict: Sigh. My heart says yes, but is it only saying that because it came from the dead boyfriend of this drama? This one reeks of "fun romcom turned into a cryfest" from a mile away.

3. Divorce Lawyer in Love

Premise: A cutthroat divorce lawyer (Cho Yeo Jeong) has a prickly relationship with her office manager (Yeon Woo Jin). The tables turn when she loses her job and has to become an office manager for a new lawyer, who happens to be none other than her former employee.

Premiere date: It was going to be March 14, but rumor on the streets has it that it's been pushed back to April?

Impressions: Typical opposites attract romcom, which are always fun.

Verdict: Did I mention that Yeon Woo Jin's last role was in one of my favorite opposites attract romcoms?

Via

Yep, count me in!

4. Ex-Girlfriend Club

Premise: A webtoon artist (Byun Yo Han) writes a story about his four ex-girlfriends. When the webtoon gets picked up by a movie studio, he has to work with a producer (Song Ji Hyo) who just so happens to be one of those exes. Awk-ward!

Premiere date: May 

Initial impressions: Song Ji Hyo and I are going to be best friends someday. In order to make that happen, I have to watch this. You know—to prove my friendship.

You see that smile? She's totally laughing at a hilarious joke I made.

5. Descendants of the Sun

Premise: A UN peacekeeping officer (almost 100% certainly played by Song Joong Ki) and a doctor from Doctors Without Borders (Song Hye Gyo is considering) initially don't get along, but then the fall in love because of danger or something.

Premiere: Fall-ish

Initial impressions: I know this is really far away, but I already feel so conflicted. On the one hand, remember how I started my Song Joong Ki obsession right around the time he left for military service? Siggggggh I luff him.

Via

On the other hand, it's written by Kim Eun Sook. The same Kim Eun Sook who wrote Heirs.

I actually find the premise kind of interesting, and who knows? Kim Eun Sook tends to do better with bigger plots (body swapping in Secret Garden) than she does with basic ones (rich kids go to school in Heirs), so maybe having a background of war will force her to do more than end every episode with a wide-eyed love triangle formation.

Surely you all remember this. It was, after all, 40% of what happened in Heirs.

My biggest fear, though, is that this potentially intriguing plot will end up with Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Gyo doing a wrist grab stare-down at each other for five minutes while some poor guy's artery is gushing blood right next to them as I shout "MOVE IT, YOU IDIOTS! THAT MAN DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR LOVE" at my laptop.

...not that I have ever shouted that at a show before. 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Okay, now it's your turn. What shows are all of you anticipating? I know I missed a bunch of upcoming ones, like Sensory Couple aka Girl Who Sees Smells aka Shin Se Kyung's Got a Fetish for Bizarre Superpowers, but the ones I covered are the ones tugging at my heart (for good or for ill) at the moment. What about you? If there's something else I should consider, by all means, convince me so that we can watch together!