Karie the Maknae: When you hang out with the same set of kdrama friends online, it’s inevitable that you’ll end up watching the same thing so that you can know what your friends are referring to. And perhaps those friends will try to convince you with terms like “grasslands hottie” or “Han Jiang’s sexy feet” (in this humble writer’s opinion, there is no such thing as sexy feet) or “shaman hottie”. LOL. I swear we watch dramas for the stories. Really!
Join Kdrama Jen, me, and our repartee guest Drama Geek as we talk about coming to terms with a drama not being right for you.
Kdrama Jen: Team Grasslands Hottie forever! (Buy the t-shirt!) And I am not saying I think Han Jiang’s feet are sexy–merely noting that they could be listed as supporting cast members based on how often they are shown….
Drama Geek: We like to share the love, and usually do it in the way of screenshots. Sorry, I didn’t have any of Han Jiang’s feet, but I did get one of both Grasslands and Shaman Hottie.
Karie the Maknae: Kdrama Jen has the feet angle covered! And she says she doesn’t like his feet….
As time goes on, you start to realize that something’s off. You find yourself watching other new dramas, old dramas, maybe even cleaning your house as you put off watching the newest episode of that one drama. This is it, dramas fans. Let me walk you through the stages so that you can recognize when you’re going through “Not My Favorite” syndrome.
- POLITE ACCEPTANCE — This is the beginning stage, when you get sucked in by your friends’ enthusiasm. They have fantastic taste in dramas and haven’t let you down so far, right? Well, there was that one drama that was hard to get through, but really, your viewing life has been better because of their recommendations. So you happily press play on that first episode.
- DIGGING DEEP FOR PATIENCE — Really, their enthusiasm is hard to beat! And if you could just catch up to where they are, you’re sure that you can match them in catching intricate plot details and other intriguing viewer candy. Really, you don’t want do disappoint them, so you persevere.
- THE SLOW REALIZATION — One day you look up and realize that you’re all caught up on your favorite dramas, but that one, the “best drama ever”….you’re five episodes behind. Or six. Or twenty, if it’s a cdrama. You text your besties, looking for support as you wade your way through, and realize your calls for support are thinly veiled complaints about the actress’ wooden acting, or the hilariously inaccurate costuming choices, or the plot that’s not moving any faster than the nearest glacier.
- ACCEPTANCE — This is the breaking point, the straw that broke the camel’s back, the brick that topples the stack. You realize that no matter how awesome the actors may be, how breathtaking the cinematography is, you just can’t do it. Your finger trembles every time you go to push the play button. You find yourself falling asleep to the opening theme song. And even organizing your taxes excites your more than the drama does. Which leads you, feet dragging, to the next stage.
- RELUCTANTLY ADMITTING DEFEAT — This is when you take a deep breath, straighten your spine, and come clean to your kbesties. Phrases such as “This drama isn’t really working for me” and “I gave it my best shot” and “I’m so happy you love this drama; it’s not for me” come in very handy. Use your best puppy dog eyes or other aegyo to soften their hearts.
Kdrama Jen: The Maknae is really cute when she does aegyo–hard to resist!
Drama Geek: I need to learn better aegyo. I would have been able to get out of finishing Nirvana in Fire a lot sooner.
Karie the Maknae: HA! Poor Drama Geek. It comes with practice. Lots and LOTS of practice. I would know. Anyway, drama fans, my kbesties (including these fantastic ladies) keep telling me that life is too short to stick with a drama you don’t love. They’re right. Granted, these are the same kbesties that I had to come clean to about Tribes and Empires. I’m glad they love it; it’s not for me. I gave it my best shot — 15 episodes! — but this drama isn’t really working for me.
Drama Geek: It was a valiant effort, but life really is too short to watch a drama you aren’t enjoying. At least you still have our thread with all the screenshots.
Kdrama Jen: So, it IS true that if you are not feeling it, then there are too many great ones to waste your time slogging through. However, I do feel the need to point out…Heirs, cough, Heirs…Cinderella and the Four Knights…ahem….
Drama Geek: I’m not sure I should comment about your love for those dramas…
Karie the Maknae: Heeeeyyyyy, I resemble that remark. Except for Heirs. I swear I didn’t love it that much!!
Karie the Maknae: There you have it, drama fans. Get some kbesties — it makes the whole kdrama-watching experience so much richer. And keep yourself prepared for moments like these. And to be teased for your not-so-secret love of dramas they don’t like. That’s what friends are for, right?
This PSA brought to you by the Drama Girls of Dramas with a Side of Kimchi:
Karie the Maknae, Kdrama Jen, and Drama Geek
Two things do me in on a drama: 1) if it’s totally juvenile and 2) if I fall asleep every time I watch it. I know Goblins is supposed to be so wonderful, but not only did I find a lot of the story boring, but I found that I was falling asleep whenever I tried to watch an episode. After half a dozen episodes, I gave up.
Shhhhhh. Don’t tell me that! Goblin was my gateway. BUT I’m glad you know when you’re interested and when you’re not.
There are always a few dramas every season that everyone loves but I’m not into. In my time on the blog I’ve learned that the 4 episode rule is a good rule to follow, I can’t remember who told me that one, but it’s true, if I’m not into a drama by episode 4, I drop it and glance at the recaps to see if I may want to pick it up later. Also, I HATED Heirs, Boys Over Flowers and Cinderella and the Four Knights, but I wasn’t kicked out of the club for that because we are a diverse group and that’s what makes us fun.
Yay for diversity! As long as we don’t discuss C&4K, we should be good. 😉
Things that make me leave a drama for good – 1) plot point of “Children in Peril.” I swear, Shaun of the Dead was my favorite movie right up to the moment children began running from their parents and parents had to run from their zombified children. So, I hate dramas where kids are hurt (sad to say, that means no Moon Embracing the Sun, most parts of Princess Agents, etc. Also, 2) workplace stress dramas. I love shows where people have jobs they enjoy but I hate shows where it’s all grind, grind and grind. Hence, I’ve never watched Misaeng, I know these little quirks limit me but – it’s always good to admit your faults up front.
P.S. I just bought that tee shirt!
Our first sale! Hurrah! And I agree — children in peril are hard to watch for me too. The younger cast of MEtS didn’t feel like children to me, so I was able to get through that. And I nearly dropped Cheese/Trap for the same reason you don’t watch Misaeng — the stress is just too much!
As a knitter, I’m on Ravelry.com and while there, captain of the Team Soju Stitchers for the Ravellenic Games (our way of knitting while watching the Olympics) – I may boost the idea of #teamgrasslandhottie teeshirts as our team shirt.
LOVE IT.
This. All of this. I don’t often commit myself to any group watches, because from my drama watching experience (a whole 5 years! lol) I rarely like the choices or what the rest of the dramaverse is going gaga over. I just wander off, get bored, and the worst, when I feel NOTHING for the characters or their situations. I try not to be petty in my reasons but a little thing like the character’s bad haircut or sound of their whiny voice can grate on me. LOL
My patience wore thinner over those years, so I try hard to give dramas the good old 3 strikes your out. most of the time. But then I may watch up to 8 eps. or more until I realize I’ve done more complaining on Twitter and “hate-watched” it then enjoyed it. I’ve been in your boat, watching 15+ episodes and dropping. That’s even tougher.
With some drama genres I need a resting period, because if I’m not in the right mood, I may despise one that’s actually pretty good. That happened and I went back and realized they weren’t so bad after all. For a long time I avoided fluffy rom-coms because my moods were always dark, and the cutesy, fakery made me want to hurl. But I watched a few recently, that weren’t too sappy, and I truly loved them since I’ve felt better.
I guess I’m trying to say our Real Life moods can greatly affect our drama choices too. :p But everyone has their reasons. This is why I love the world of Asian dramas, there’s sooooo much to choose from, in so many genres, we can never fail to find one that suits us.
Excellent point on moods affecting our preferences. I had to put Forest of Secrets on hold because I tried to watch it too close to Signal. I need a light, happy break for a while. But thank goodness for the variety in Asian television!
Lol…I totally agree with all above comments…especially because I,too, experience having a close-knit, but diverse, small chat group makes drama watching together (or even opting out of some) so much the richer!!!!
You have your tribe! Love it.