We are chatting about one of our all-time favorite drama tropes! Come join us as we discuss all the time travel dramas we have watched, how time travel affects the story, and best way to experience time travel. Also, how time traveling via baby brain fetus is not one of the top ways to time travel . . . because that is just crazy.
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A list of the links mentioned in the episode.
Queen In Hyun’s Man Director’s Cut Kiss
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Til our next chat,
The Fangirls
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
You podcasting ladies are so prompt! I’ve really enjoyed the group dynamics of these podcasts – now, off to see if I agree with any of you.
Look forward to your comments
Luckily, I had a lot of kid shuttling around to do today so I was able to listen promptly. You guys do make me wish I’ve watched more actual “Korean” dramas because my time travel favorites hardly intersected with yours.
My favorite time travel dramas have to do with finding your place to land in the past. Sometimes, time travelers rebel and try to return home again and again. That happens early on in the original Chinese Scarlet Heart – she thinks she has to try and replicate her deadly accident in order to return to her time. It isn’t until she decides to “be” Maertai Ruoxi because she realizes how much her older sister, Maertai Ruo Lan, would miss her. In effect, she puts her worries about changing the past and dislike of the current situation of women on hold in order to make Maertai Ruo Lan’s narrow life more happy. That is her landing pad – even when the drama detours into the politicking and love lives of the princes.
In the completely ridiculous Hong Kong drama Captain of Destiny, a female police officer Wong Tai-mui, gets sucked into the past and washes up (literally) with a bunch of Qing dynasty pirates. Her law-loving soul finds it hard to live with hardened (but loving and kind to her) law breakers and she ends up romancing a prince who’s charged with rounding up the pirates. Yet – his version of the law is hardly fair, either. Her spot in the past is to keep people on the path of righteousness, even if it means her own possible death. By the by – in her present life, she is one great cop!
There are a couple of Thai dramas about time traveling although you probably won’t like them because they are about reincarnated souls, so technically, no travel. However, there are two “travel via magical object” shows that have been very popular – one is about an enchanted mirror (Tawipob) that allows travel to the past and one is about an enchanted bed (Buang Banjathorn). Here, magic is what allows time travel so really, all bets are off. Their plots, however, involve people feeling out of touch with their modern lives and wishing for more loving, traditional situations. In effect, the scriptwriters are implying that modern Thai society is not as good as the more traditional, respectful Thai society of the past. Quite frankly, while both are sweet romances, I don’t believe for one second that their heroines have found a place in the past to permanently hang their hats. Neither lakorn, however, involve reincarnation so – hurrah!
I am watching, however, a very funny, currently airing Thai drama about time travel via reincarnation (Bpoop Phaeh Saniwaat – Love Destiny) where the lead thinks if she can create “merit” – good deeds that affect your soul – she can get her past reincarnation out of hell. It’s the first drama I’ve seen other than Go Princess Go where they discuss having periods – and then show you how to make your own 16th century version of Maxipads!
Some of my other favorite time travel dramas are Faith (plastic surgeon Eun Soo is kidnapped back to the past by a hunky warrior because of her medical skills), A Step into the Past (clever Hong Kong policeman is sent back to study the past but affects it instead), and the beautiful but un-subbed Chinese drama, Faithful to Buddha, Faithful to You (far-future Chinese student is sent back to preserve important philosophical works) – all of them have a person finding their purpose in the past. They don’t mope (much), they adapt (even to the smells and illnesses of the time) and they work hard to emotionally grow even as they worry about their futures.
Ladies, whew, this episode really spoke to me. I have about six re-watches waiting for me right now. And if you wonder why I find the past so appealing? I have a graduate degree in archival and historical administration so I’ve worked at living history farms and properties where we, in effect, pretend to be time travelers in order to explain our sites to visitors. When they finally develop Survivor: Time Travel Edition, I’m applying!
Thanks again for a fun podcast –
That is a LOT of non-Korean time-travel dramas. But your background in archival and historical administration definitely explains your love of them! I’m glad you liked the podcast. Now I’m a little curious about the Thai dramas….maybe I’ll give one of these a shot.
The older ones – the magical bed and mirror ones – are subbed on YouTube. The newer ones are often subbed on Facebook or Daily Motion. Just search on the name!