Daebak! A Kdrama Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Yes, we know that 2024 is only half over but we seriously doubt another drama will top The Atypical Family. This is an incredibly creative series with complex characters, gorgeous cinematography, amazing performances and the most unique OST we've ever heard. But this drama hasn't gotten the love it deserves from Kdrama fans. We want everyone to hop on board and discover this gem!  

In today's episode Melanie, Vickey and Alisa are joined by Joanne Beveridge (@jmbeveridge on Twitter/X) to dive into exactly what has made Lovely Runner the biggest sleeper Kdrama hit of 2024. Some stats:

• Lovely Runner topped Viki viewership ratings in over 130 regions including India, Australia, the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Mexico
  
  
• Korean streamer TVing exceeded Netflix's total usage time for the first time on the day the last episode of Lovely Runner aired. It’s the first time that a Korean streamer has surpassed Netflix’s total usage time. Supposedly TVing held an emergency meeting to analyze the numbers because they were so unexpected.
  
  
• The song 소나기/Sudden Shower entered the Melon top 10 on May 13 and eventually reached number 5, which is a ranking that even legit Kpop groups struggle to achieve. It’s currently still in the Top 10.
  
  

Spoiler Alert! We're doing a deep dive on My Love From the Star so this episode is filled with spoilers (as usual).

1:05 We introduce our guest podcaster, Drama Mara, who creates video analyses of Kdramas that are a must-watch. Check her out on YouTube and Twitter.

1:45 We take a moment to acknowledge the current Covid surge. We know that the coronavirus pandemic continues to have devastating effects all over the world, with some of the worst outbreaks in the same places where we have the most listeners. We want to acknowledge the difficulty and heartbreak that so many of you are experiencing and tell you that our hearts are with you. We wish that we could do more to help, but we hope that we can at least distract you for a few minutes or a few hours. Take care of each other out there.

2:40: Listener feedback on our Crash Landing on You episode ! We love hearing from you guys.

6:30: Start of My Love From the Star discussion

7:56: This show was so popular in China that it helped lead to a total ban on Korean entertainment in China for three years. Really. Puts the Joseon Exorcist controversy into perspective.

9:22: Purely coincidentally, this episode is timed with Jun Ji-hyun’s comeback after a four year break to start a family. Her latest drama, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, a prequel to the worldwide Netflix zombie hit, is dropping on July 23, 2001.

11:03: Is MLFTS a classic? Are people still watching? Melanie argues that its huge popularity cements this show’s classic status but it’s fading from public consciousness. Vickey and Alisa agree. Mara thinks it will continue to be popular with folks who explore older Kdramas. Katherine, our OG Kdrama watcher, remembers how hugely popular MLFTS was and how it led directly to writer Park Ji-eun’s recent smash hit, Crash Landing on You.

17:11 Melanie brings up how influential MLFTS has been on the dramas that followed, including production values (first drama in 2013 to use HD cameras). Followed by Alisa going on a rant about Kdramas with expensive production values but poor storytelling.

22:17: Alisa rants yet again against perfect male leads perfectly rescuing female leads. 

24:13: Kim Soo Hyun: so pretty he made Alisa forget to read the subtitles! But was his performance good in MLFTS? Vickey and Alisa say no.

28:55: Mara argues that Do Min Joon is not a perfect character and is in fact deeply flawed. “He spent 400 years on earth not getting close to anyone.” Melanie and Katherine agree.

32:00 Melanie kicks off a fangirl freakout over Jun Ji-hyun’s amazing performance in this star-making role.

42:35: We discuss the parallels between a scandal in the drama and a rumored real-life scandal in Jun Ji-hyun’s marriage and what it says about the status of women in real life.

46:04: Why oh why do so many Kdramas have the leads meet when the female lead is a child? Make it stop…

49:59: We dive into the problematic power dynamics between the MLFTS lead couple. The female lead starts out strong but is gradually cut down to size as the drama progresses.

54:26: There’s more sex in MLFTS than Crash Landing on You (with a broad definition of sex outside of actual intercourse). The couple in MLFTS clearly desire each other but CLOY is completely neutered. Also, wtf is up with KSH’s towel shower???

58:12: The ending of MLFTS vs. CLOY: which is better/worse? Melanie prefers MLFTS but Alisa thinks it’s PTSD-inducing. Also, Melanie dives into a safe sex lecture 🙃

1:04: Some appreciation for national treasure Kim Chang-wan as Do Min-joon’s best friend and the found family aspect of the drama.

1:08: Yoo In-na is a Daebak podcast fave but she wasn’t doing it for us in this drama. To be fair, the writing for her character was...not great.

1:11: The appeal of the awful female lead. When women are socialized to be self-sacrificing it can be a thrill to see a woman behave badly and still get all the goodies. It helps when you have Jun Ji-hyun playing the role.

1:13: We spend more time picking apart Kim Soo Hyun’s performance, with (probably) unfair comparisons to Spock and IU in My Ahjussi. The writing didn’t help. Mara points out that when you have two male leads, one is the stoic one and one is the fun one (exhibit a: The Heirs)

1:18: The metaphysics of the show, aka none of this makes sense, also aka make the rules of your world and stick to them. 

1:26: We compare and contrast writer Park Ji-eun with the Hong Sisters (Hotel Del Luna) and Kim Eun-sook (Goblin). 

1:29: Despite how much time we spent criticizing MLFTS, we do acknowledge that the show was a massive, influential hit for some very good reasons. Even Alisa had to admit she cried in parts. 

Spoiler Alert! We're doing a deep dive on Crash Landing on You so this episode is jam-packed with spoilers (as usual).

1:16 We give a shoutout to the power of Boys Over Flowers. Our last episode had four times the number of listens of our previous two episodes combined. 😲 Pretty powerful for a 12-year-old drama based on a 30-year-old franchise. That sound you hear is feminism weeping.

2:22: Welcome India! You now make up 60% of our listeners. Since we all started out YouTubing, podcasting, and tweeting about Indian movies, we are extremely happy that you all found our podcast.

4:10 Listener feedback on our Boys Over Flowers episode! A big thank you to everyone who listened and shared their reactions with us. It was a challenging episode to record and we’re gratified by the response.

7:34 Start of the Crash Landing on You discussion. The podcast team had a LOT of disagreement on this one, ranging from pure love for this drama (Melanie!) to active annoyance (um, the rest of the Daebak team). 

20:00 We discuss the elements that make CLOY very accessible to new viewers: Se Ri as a point of view character in North Korea and the Ducklings as the point of view characters in South Korea (double fish out of water!). Also, there’s a soldier obsessed with Kdramas who explains the tropes to new viewers.

22:25 We have a FANGIRL FREAKOUT over how gorgeous Hyun Bin is in this drama. 

23:30 Is Captain Ri too perfect? Alisa thinks so!

25:20 Shoutout to all of the supporting actors who are a who’s who of character actors in Korea (Seo Dan’s mother and uncle both appeared in Parasite!)

28:20 Alisa braces herself for fangirl hate and goes deep on what frustrated her about the main romance. Captain Ri was too perfect (and maybe a little boring?) Vickey agrees! 

29:25 Melanie astutely points out that Se Ri is a gender-flipped portrayal of the cold, arrogant chaebol who is redeemed by love. She also explains why Capt. Ri is a cinnamon roll hero.

35:52 We talk about S-E-X and the lack of it in CLOY. Why is this drama so chaste???

43:16 How did Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin’s real life romance affect their chemistry in CLOY and how much has their relationship contributed to the popularity of this drama?

48:08 Vickey points out that CLOY serves up a lot of standard romance tropes—but when done right, they satisfy.

50:58 The mythic portrayal of North Korea and parallels with Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

54:24 Alisa rants about the stupid villain and death truck storyline 

58:26 We give some love to Seo Dan and Seung Jun, who deserved more character development and a happy ending

1:02:37 We agree that Man Bok’s story is one of the best things in the drama

1:05:26 Capt. Ri and Se Ri’s separation at the border is a metaphor for the political machinery that separates the two Koreas.

1:07:31 How come Se Ri saw Capt. Ri’s scars for the first time in the hospital? Shouldn’t she already know exactly where all those scars are on his body??? (yes, we’re going on about sex again)

1:08:42 Katherine reminds us that it’s obvious Crash Landing on You is pitching itself to an audience outside of South Korea

1:14:47 CLOY’s references to Stairway to Heaven and other classic dramas 

1:20:31 Katherine compares Hyun Bin in CLOY with his portrayal of a North Korean soldier in Confidential Assignment

1:25:16 We discuss the reaction of CLOY fans to the romance between Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin. Is it a bit creepy/obsessive? Sometimes!

1:29:15 We suggest dramas to watch after CLOY

1:32:15 Do we think this will be a classic of the future? Ten years from now, will people still be watching Crash Landing on You? 

TW/CW for sexual assault, bullying, gun violence

Katherine hates Boys Over Flowers with a white-hot passion. Alisa has seen three adaptations of Hana Yori Dango and counting but has what could best be described as a conflicted relationship with this story. Melanie thinks Boys Over Flowers is a must-watch drama just so you understand the references in other dramas and pop music. Vickey enjoyed it way more than she wanted it to. We all agree that love it or hate it, Boys Over Flowers is a classic that mixes deeply problematic elements with fairytale tropes and gorgeous men in fine suits to create the equivalent of drama crack.

1:02: We take a moment to acknowledge those who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16, 2021. As people who love Asian films and dramas, this hits us hard. We stand with the Asian community and we will do everything we can to push back against hate and violence.

2:36: Heads up: there are MASSIVE spoilers for BoF and Hana Yori Dango. We also give a content warning for discussions of bullying and sexual violence both in the news and as part of the plot of Boys Over Flowers. 

3:20:  Listener responses to our last episode—as in we got some! Also a big thank you to all of our listeners in countries worldwide, including Canada, the UK, Philippines, India, Australia, Germany, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore and Qatar.

9:45: Start of Boys Over Flowers/Hana Yori Dango discussion

12:55: One of the themes of this podcast is what makes a classic a classic. But does Boys Over Flowers really qualify? (We say yes! But we had a lot of disagreement before reaching that point).

16:24: Why is this show drama crack despite bad acting, bad writing, bad directing, and OMG SO MUCH bullying and violence?

18:15: Melanie thinks Boys Over Flowers channels fairytale tropes to make this drama irresistible.

20:08: Alisa thinks the show’s pleasures are simple: Gorgeous guys with outlandish haircuts and fabulous fashion served up for your viewing pleasure. Plus that first entrance! 

27:18: Here’s where it gets deep: we have an intense discussion of rape and violence against women.

42:28: We compare BoF with the 2001 Taiwanese version, Meteor Garden. We like Jerry Yan’s performance but terrible production values mean we can’t recommend this for most viewers.

48:33: Vickey talks about BoF being her gateway Kdrama...as it is for so many other Kdrama fans.

56:30: Alisa goes on an extended rant about why Ji Hoo is a much better bet as a boyfriend than Jun Pyo.

59:08: Alisa brings up second lead syndrome in Start Up and Vickey, Melanie and Katherine have a fangirl freakout over Kim Seon Ho.

1:01:40: We discuss real-life scandals/tragedies involving Ji Soo, Kim Hyun Joong, and Jang Ja-yeon and how Jan Di’s experiences in BoF aren’t that far off from things happening in the real world. Where do you draw the line as a fan consuming content with people exposed for bad behavior?

1:20:45: BoF and makjang: evil mothers and amnesia and car accidents oh my!

1:30:40: Jae Kyung >>>>>>>>>>> Jan Di (Jun Pyo should’ve just married her)

1:35.00: The OST is an evil earworm. Almost Paradiiiiiiiiise!!!

1:38:38: Melanie dives into the fairytale elements of BoF: Ji Hoo’s first love as a fairy godmother giving Jan Di shoes and how Jan Di’s relationship with the F4 has echoes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. 

1:44:30: Why did Boys Over Flowers desex the relationship between Jan Di and Jun Pyo???

1:48:36: Does Ji Hoo have a gay relationship in his past? Because otherwise what is up with that Macao scene with his old school friend... 

1:52:01: Would we recommend Boys Over Flowers to a new Kdrama watcher? Well...


  

CW: Just a heads up that we have some mild swearing in this episode and some bleeped out not-mild swearing. Seems appropriate for this drama with a heroine who is fond of not-mild swearing.

Highlights:

1:23 Listener responses to our last episode—as in we got some! Thank you!

10:10 Start of our Sam Soon discussion

14:20 This drama has been compared with Bridget Jones Diary. Accurate or not? Melanie weighs in.

16:29 Forgot to mention that Sam Shik is the nickname Sam Soon gives to Jin Heon (it means Third Jerk 😆)

19:40 We discuss how Sam Soon compares with the heroines of Mr. Queen and It's Okay Not to be Okay. In a modern drama, it seems that you have to have a character who is a man in a woman's body or who has a personality disorder in order for her to swear and be frank about sex.

24:45 We discuss the literary references in this drama, especially Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time/Remembrance of Things Past and how it plays on the drama's themes of memory and loss.

38:13 Listen to us have a MAJOR FANGIRL FREAKOUT over the first kiss scene. Is this the best first kiss in a drama ever? Spoiler: YES YES YES

52:55 Is Jin Heon an irredeemable toxic @$$hole? Is Sam Soon a doormat? We say pfffft not even.

1:15 Here are our recommendations for other dramas featuring the cast of My Lovely Sam Soon.

 

Coffee Prince is the story of Eun-chan, a young woman who pretends to be a man in order to get a job, and her romance with Han-gyul, a rich young man who falls in love with her despite not knowing she’s actually a woman.  
Things we cover this episode include:

• A very detailed analysis of just how hot Gong Yoo is in this (oh okay, we also talk about his acting talent)
• Is Han-gyul bi or gay? Is Eun-chan gender fluid?
• Why the hell did Eun-chan wait so long to come out to Han-gyul? Was it because she was afraid to lose him or something more?
• Yoo-joo and Eun-chan are more alike that you think. They're both women living like men to survive in a man's world.
• Meanwhile, Han-sung is manipulative, selfish and generally problematic a-f.
•  The Coffee Princes are all adorable and we spend a fair bit of time squeeing and fangirling them.

After an extended break we're back with our discussion of the underrated BL gem Be My Favorite starring Krist & Gawin/Fluke. Kudos to director Waasuthep Ketpetch for producing one of the best BLs we've ever watched and one of our fave dramas of any genre from 2023.

There are SPOILERS for 2022 dramas in this episode. Check out the timestamps below to avoid discussions of specific shows.

Our podcast team had a mixed 2022. Some of us felt fed, some of us felt seriously let down by Korean shows this year and some of us fell in love with dramas in countries outside of Korea. 

5:35 My Liberation Notes

10:53 Extraordinary Attorney Woo

22:25 Little Women

24:30 Discussion of dramas with controversial endings (are writers doing this on purpose???)

• 25:18 2521
• 30:31 Big Mouth
• 32:55 Reborn Rich

43:58: Discussion of sageuks

• 46:48: Under the Queen’s Umbrella 
• 50:10: Bloody Heart 

56:41: Discussion of legal dramas (there were 20+ legal dramas in 2022!)

• 57:34 The Law Cafe
• 59:23 May it Please the Court

1:04:28: Non-Korean dramas: F4 Thailand opened the floodgates and we watched dramas from China, Japan and Taiwan as well.

• 1:06:48: Bad Buddy (Thailand)
• 1:07:05: Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan)
• 1:07:12: Love Between Fairy and Devil (China)
• 1:13:24: Not Me (Thailand)

1:14:40: We each got a chance to spotlight some favorite dramas we watched in 2022 regardless of whether the drama aired in 2022 

Jo’s Picks: 

• 1:16:28: Sound of Magic
• 1:20:34: Alchemy of Souls (and the controversial ending)

Vickey’s Picks

• 1:25:28: Crazy Love
• 1:29:44: Link: Eat, Love, Kill

Alisa’s Picks:

•  1:34:10: Someday or One Day (Taiwan)
• 1:37:37: First Love: Hatsukoi (Japan)

Melanie’s Picks:

• 1:40:49: Shooting Stars
• 1:41:00: Yumi’s Cells S2

Katherine’s Picks:

•  1:46:11: Boar Hunt, aka Hunted
• 1:46:56: The King of Pigs
• 1:47:53: Summer Strike
• 1:49:15: Glitch

RK’s Picks

•  1:50:04: Political Fever
• 1:51:44: Bad and Crazy

Hi folks, in a departure from our usual deep dives, we start out the podcast with a non-spoiler discussion. Spoilers start at 32:45.

You can find RK on Twitter at @roh_tweets.

Here's where to follow us!

• Our new channel on the Asian Dramas Discord Server: https://discord.gg/rpCg4JnTNy  
• Twitter: @daebakpodcast1 
• Instagram: @daebakpodcast1 
• Reddit: www.reddit.com/user/Borinquena