SMNTY <3s K-Dramas

What exactly and why are they so popular? We go over some history, tropes and examples.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha. Welcome to Stephane. Ever
told your prediction of iHeartRadio? I say, all, Annie, yes,
I like that from the beginning. That's so I just

(00:26):
said a lot of your Korean son seyall. And you
know what, I decided we had to begin that way
to confuse you a b because today's episode it's something
that we've been talking about doing for a long time. Yes,
it's been a long time coming. We're talking about K dramas.
And you know, one thing we have to do is

(00:47):
we need to get back Marissa, who we've had on
the show before. Shout out hey, Marissa, because I know
she probably knows this more than I do. For sure,
even with the research because her and her mother apparently
really have a boy her mother, especially when it comes
to KA dramas, and we kind of wanted to take
a look and take a trip about why, especially with

(01:08):
like the US or non Korean people were really digging
K dramas right now, And yeah, we're gonna do it.
You're ready to do this, okay? And I will tell
you all. I'd gave Annie some homework for this episode.
I think I kept changing though I got so excited
I was like, here's this list. No, do this list, No,
do this list. That is part of my journey as well,

(01:29):
in trying to kind of get comfortable with my Korean heritage,
which I have for so long have tried to ignore
or run away from. So if you hear me fumbling
in this episode, which you may not because Christina, our
super producer, Christina is amazing and editing, but if you
do hear it, yeah, this is a lot like when
I talk about Korean issues or topics, I can't really

(01:52):
anxious about it. So I'm gonna kind of put that
at the top. But this should be a more fun
question mark episode because when I do topics, you never
know how wild turn out, do we anyway? Um, and
by the way, we probably will choose a K drama
or at least a K movie for a future of
feminist movie episode, But for now, we're just going to

(02:14):
talk about why there are so many who hearts. I'm
doing it, I'm doing it, I'm doing I'm doing this.
There we go. That's the heart, the heart h K drama.
We're talking about K drama. We do mention kapap, but
we're not talking about that specifically. So what are we
talking about exactly? And yes, before you come at us,

(02:37):
because I know there's a lot of people who are
really passionate about this topic. We are talking more along
the lines of the K wave, and let's explain that
in a minute in general or a more focus on
K dramas. So when we're talking about the love of
Korean culture, we might be saying this interchangeably and not
a little bit out of context. So if we do,

(02:58):
don't yell at us. No, don't yell at us. So
let's do a quick definition. KAY dramas or Korean dramas
are typically quote limited scripted series arranging from sixteen to
twenty four episodes, and this is according to the Hollywood Insider,
and they oftentimes are an hour long or if you're
watching One Light, The Guardian or The Goblin, which was

(03:19):
like the number four of all time Korean dramas, is
an hour and fifteen minutes per heartbreaking episode. And did
I bench that this week? Yes? I did. Did I
stop horribly at the end of it? Yes? I did.
Did my dog jump off the couch watching me in
horror and judgment while I was crying because of this ending?

(03:39):
Maybe we're not going to talk about that anyway. I
think that maybe sounded like a yes to me, But
all right. The Hollywood Insider goes on with this description
for KAY dramas. Quote, KAY dramas have the premise of
your everyday soap, opera and telenovella, but South Korean dramas

(04:00):
always entails something different. Some shows contain romance, comedy, horror,
sci fi, and historical themes. Most of the time they
encompass a mix of those genres. Their storylines are oftentimes
intricate while also engaging. Although each drama has different genres,
they all obtain a sense of innocence and emotional depth,
making it so enjoyable to watch. Audiences can connect with

(04:21):
the characters and empathize the raw emotions. K dramas are
always exploring, and according to ninety Day Korean K drama
simply means it quote pertains to television series created in
South Korea. So pretty simple, different, It just very direct
and yeah, this was a part of a bigger phenomenon

(04:42):
as we talked about the K wave or how you,
which is a Chinese term of the global popularity of
South Korean culture, and this term originated in nineteen ninety seven,
with the popularity of a K drama titled What Is Love,
which went mainstream in both China and Japan broadcasting. I
don't think a bigger one happened later in Japan, like

(05:03):
two thousand and three, as I guess, but yeah, so
they had their own wave as well. And yeah, the
wave kept spreading as the love of K pop groups
spread throughout, including in the US. Groups like Big Bang
and others were loved all of the world by teens
and those in their twenties, and in twenty twenty, nearly

(05:23):
one hundred million people have joined a hallyu or a
K wave related group, including fan groups for K pop
bands like BTS and Black Pink, which I love both
of them. Did I listen to them as I was
writing this episode? Yes, yes I was. And the rise
of K pop music has not slowed down. In fact,
it has expanded, with media like MTV embracing its popularity

(05:43):
and creating a Best K Pop category in their MTV
Video Music Awards in twenty nineteen. And we all know,
because we've talked about this before, of the power of
these fandoms such as the Army or the BTS Army.
They are a force we don't mess with we love you,
And with the wave only growing, the idea of South

(06:04):
Korean culture has grown um. With distributions all over the world,
K drama has become widely accepted and loved and even
makes it on the top viewing streams all over the world. Yes,
food is also a part of this um there's a
whole push for it. Yeah, we're yeah. Yeah. So let's
do a quick breakdown of some of the commonalities in

(06:27):
KA dramas, and let's start with some of the typical tropes.
According to screen Rant, here are the top common K
drama tropes. Sudden amnesia, which is a great way to
add suspense to your love story. Main characters who already
know each other, you know, the whole oh wee cross
has one time and now here we are again type thing.

(06:51):
The disapproving parents, the parents who do not approve of
the partner's status or job, best friend turned enemies thing
tragic happens, and now whoops enemies. Yes, I think those
are the ones that like the real as in fact,
the movie I Sent You The Suspect, which going is
one of my favorites. That happens in there. And then

(07:14):
we have the friend, enemies, two lovers. Of course, that's
always a thing. Uh. Then we have bring in the
K pop idol and I'm gonna talk about why that's
important in a bit. But yeah, if you watch again
The Guardian Order the Goblin, which we were going to
talk about that you had a K pop star in
there and people loved him, and then always a tragic

(07:35):
event or illness, which is why I was sobbing. But
why just but why the dark past? You know, we
have to have it for superhero movies, we have to
have it for K dramas. Obviously the love triangles, yes,
and that's an obvious and then there could be a
Cinderella storyline, not my favorite, but it happens, and we
know it's a trope for many, many, many stories and movies. Mum.

(07:59):
And of course with all that we see plenty of
product placement. Quite funny, every time my partner came through
to as he would just walk by. Subway was constantly
on that show, and I was like, did a whole
piece about that and made a parody K drama a

(08:19):
bounce Subway. It's a whole thing. Yeah, so they really
loved those sandwiches. I'm not gonna lie. They didn't make
it look good. I was like, oh, maybe I want
a sandwich. And of course there's amazing heartwrenching soundtrack. I
think they have the whole like slow mo dramatic music
stare if I've ever seen it, like they have the

(08:41):
classic the best way to do this, and of course
the beautiful cinematic views. It's always glossy and very fancy
looking almost like a magazine comple life. All right, so
those are the troops. Well, who is watching? According to
Sista dot com, at least seventy seven percent of the
people that they surveyed in eighteen different countries believed that

(09:02):
K dramas are popular even outside of the dedicated fan groups,
and in the US in twenty nineteen, it's estimated around
eighteen million US viewers streamed K dramas and the US
only makes five to six percent of the viewers. At
that time only made up five to six percent of
the viewers, unlike Japan and China, where the viewership reaches

(09:23):
about thirty percent each And as a side note, K
drama popularity actually grew by forty percent during the pandemic.
According to one Korean streaming network, which does not surprise me, right,
and within that number of eighteen million plus viewers in
the US, many of them are non Korean teenage girls.
Some explanations could be linked to the love of K pop,

(09:45):
but this is why this crossover is so important, and
Korean filmmakers use these different idols in the different shows
in order to bring in that viewing. One leading network
told Forbes kpops the content that transfers most quickly online. Fine,
but it crosses over into film, TV, food, and beauty.
All of that combined has made our audience what it

(10:06):
is today, and it's a smart play. This fact alone
became a sort of kay drama in itself. The series
Drama World premiered in twenty sixteen on Netflix, and the
basis of it is pretty much a young woman's love
for ka drama. She's like, I think nineteen and what
would happen if you actually fell into one? Literally like

(10:27):
literally fell into the phone to the drama. And unlike
true KA dramas, this series is twenty minutes per episode,
which takes you on this wild ride of a satirical
look at KA drama. And yes, this is one of
the ones that I made any wash to be like,
this is a really great explainer of the love of
kay drama. Did so you got their both seasons? Right?

(10:50):
I did? I got Civilians? Yeah, I mean it was interesting.
I don't know if I've told you this. Well, it
was a very great explainer because I don't have that
much experience outside of brief clips that I had seen
before before you gave me the homework, which I enjoyed
very fan fictionary, by the way, self in search is
what this would be, um. But it has like a

(11:14):
like a rule book that was very helpful of like
this has to happen at the by episode three, this
has to happen by episode six. But at first I
couldn't get the subtitles to work, and for the life
of me, I couldn't figure out if I was supposed
to not have subtitles, because honestly, like half of it's
in English and half of it's in Korean, you can
figure out what they're saying even if you don't have
the subtitles. So at first was I was like, this

(11:36):
is a creative choice that they've made, But no, it wasn't.
I didn't know that. You didn't tell me that. I
think I watched like three episodes. I kept trying to
get them to work and nothing would come on. So
I was like, oh, okay, I guess I'm supposed to
just know these strulls here are amazing thing. Yeah, I

(11:57):
cannot believe you went with it for that one well,
and so we kind of wanted to take a minute
and talk about the tropes that they said in the
in the movie, so here it is it is the
first kiss is the defining symbol of true love. The
mail lead must be a gentleman deeply considerate of women.
A shower scene featuring said mail lead is essential. And

(12:18):
the more obstacles there are to a couple's relationship, the
truer the love becomes. So all of these things and
then they have bystanders who helped make this happen. So yes,
it's very cute. Of course, it also may cater to
the non Korean audience that loves the kad drama, and
it did. It was for the people who saw it

(12:40):
loved it. I think it just didn't generate a lot
of views. It kind of went away for a little bit.
I was very sad because I actually binged it real
quick enough. I really really loved it because it is
an easy watch. You fall in love with the characters.
There's it's amazing. But then it looked like, even though
it didn't look like they would have a second season,
they did, VICKI rackaton. I hope I'm saying that right,

(13:03):
which is I think a US facilitator of these Asian dramas.
And it's not just Korean drama, it's all the Asian dramas.
They brought on a second season with characters coming back
several years later, and like there's sid of all that.
I believe all the originals who were playing that character
with some familiar faces in there. That's added in. So
I did not go it all the way through the

(13:24):
second season. I gotta get through it. I got really
caught up in the Guardian Goblin story. Well I know
you've you've surpassed you did. I was like, actually said
you could just need to watch a few episodes as
much as I was like, well, I can get through
it all all right, impressed, but you know what we

(13:47):
should also note women aren't the only ones watching. Many
men have been enjoying the tales as well, with shows
like Squid Games, Academy Award winning movies like parasite men
have been watching more Korean content as well, so we
don't want to negate that though we are specifically talking
a lot more towards the rom com look drama. The
parasite is a drama. Yeah, that kind of like it's

(14:10):
both of those things. So yeah, I think and I
was kind of guilty of this as well. I do
think of this sort of soap opera type thing when
I hear K drama, but it means like much more
and technically, yeah, and Squid Games is a K drama
and yeah, yeah, it crossed over. And speaking of crossover,
with the use of star powered crossovers to publicize the

(14:32):
newest series in this realm, social media has made K
dramas even more popular. The K wave has been made
increasingly popular too, thanks to social media platforms like Twitter
and a druma article written about the K wave, they
say Twitter has been called the holy place of K
pop because anyone can become a content producer, our consumer,

(14:53):
start a conversation, or become the one who spreads new information.
And we know that these fans know, how do you?
Social media as both a tool and a weapon, and
today more and more social media users have been sharing
clips of their favorite series and movies, giving unexpected previews
to followers who quickly search to find out more about

(15:14):
the series that others are talking about. It's kind of
a rabbit hole situation. Is TikTok has made it big? Yeah,
and K drama production companies have honed in on the
power of social media, also sharing small videos and clips
to promote the newest series. So with all that, what

(15:46):
makes K dramas different? The common consensus is that it
offers something different than the typical US or mainstream series.
For one, the pacing is different, and though each episode
can feel like a movie, and yes they do, at
the end of the sixteen to maybe nineteen episodes, it's over.
You don't continue on with the story, no tenure plot.
Unlike things like Gray's Anatomy, which has been on and on,

(16:09):
or Supernatural, which went on for fifteen seasons, the stories
are intermixed with different themes instead of just being one thing.
It can be a dramatic comedy about aliens or gods,
or a coming of age story involving mermaids. Yeah, and
then there's this lack of spice. Don't get me wrong,
it can still feel spicy, but this content in general

(16:29):
is wholesome. The kiss, and I do mean the kiss
is a huge plot point. There's always a giant lead up.
The creators intentionally built up the kiss to translate that
as a significant point to the plot and moment in
the series. The series is more likely to be focused
on the emotional growth and aspect and not necessarily of
the physical connections. And then, yes, food is a significant

(16:52):
character on its own. Many of the scenes take place
around the dinner setting or at a restaurant. And then
they aren't afraid to have their characters eat and eat well,
whether it's noodles, fried chicken, kimbop, or bonchon, You'll always
see a glorious array of a colorful feast. I love it.
It makes me hungry, and all of those things combined
make it appealing for the outside viewers. But on top

(17:16):
of that, there is a level of relatability in these roles.
The Drum wrote, Korean culture is very accessible and there
has been such a push for k dramas and stories
that are rooted in Koreans settings but have universal teams
and archetypes that everyone across the globe can relate to.
They are built on the successful universality that has really
resonated with people right and then there's that level of intimacy.

(17:40):
The viewers crave the emotional relationships that take place throughout
the series. It is a relationship oriented thing and all
of it seems to be based on new or at
least at the beginning of the relationships, so people get
really invested and for dramas once again, like The Guardian
or Goblin because it's according to how you translate it,
the Lonely and Great God. It looks to Laura, death

(18:00):
and grief on a scale both intimate and grand. And
most of these series are created to look at different
challenges with a fantastical level of perception, so it makes
it more interesting way to grieve, I guess. And then
there is a difference in the gender roles and a
hill within the industry as well as a series themselves.
With the rise of more women writers in the K

(18:22):
drama world, they give a different perspective interpretation in the
film industry and this brings us to the female gaze
in the industry as well. In twenty twenty one, Vogue
India did an article titled in case you missed It,
I see why am I K dramas have turned the
male gaze on men so different perspectives. Here the writer
explores what that actually looks like and how women's screenwriters

(18:44):
have been allowing for women to express their sexuality through
these series and films. And in this article they write,
looking at men through a distinctly female gaze is a
reflection of a bolder attitude towards women's sexuality for viewers
as well as for the writers. And in that same miracle,
they say with a higher volume of female voices in

(19:04):
the writer's room, it also stands to reason that on
screen displays of affection are treated with greater sensitivity and care.
Unlike the bedsheet ripping tables being knocked over archetype propagated
by mainstream television. The camera doesn't treat women as an
object to underscore the sensuality of a moment. Instead, it
delves into the emotions attached to the experience. With K dramas,

(19:28):
the thrill is always about the emotional journey, and physical
intimacy is consistently treated as secondary. And this is in
the article the Fangirl Verdict of Firms and Ads. It's
not uncommon for the camera to linger appreciatively and indulgently
over the male lead. But no matter how the scene
is framed, the focus will be on closeups of the

(19:48):
lead couple's face, with extra attention given to their eyes
so that we can interpret how the physical intimacy stems
from their emotional intimacy and what the milestones means to
them both. Because the perspective of the stories are from women,
the leading woman has started to change as well. The
sort of archetype of the leading woman, whether they are

(20:08):
the innocent young girl or the powerhouse executive. The women
in charge in the writing room have made changes to
see these women as leaders in these case dramas as well, right,
and the perspective of the men has been rewritten. The
sensitive soul who we often see with a single tier
running down their cheese, has become more in demand. He

(20:30):
was some shirtless scenes, yeah, sure, of course. And also
with the continued rise of women writers. According to the
Korean Broadcast Writers Union, they estimated that ninety four point
six percent of screenwriters were women in twenty eighteen, we
see a rise of women led series. In twenty twenty one,
at least fifty three percent of the lead characters in

(20:52):
the dramas were women. The betrayals have slowly changed over
the years. Yes, with more women the hel of these scripts,
the diversity of careers and choices the women make within
these stories has only grown. There are many different arguments
as to why these changes have been happening. Is it
a reflection of where women in South Korea are today?

(21:12):
With the declining birth rate and marriage rates, women are changing.
Is it just a reflection of that right? And it
could be feminism And as we recently talked about the
state of feminism and gender equality in South Korea, it
seems that the women in the film industries are speaking
out as well. The recent success of the novel turn
movie Kimjian More nineteen eighty two, which follows the life

(21:34):
of a housewife battling depression, ginger discrimination, and inequality, has
only shown the pervasive need for more conversation concerning the
unequal balances when it comes to women and marginalized people
in that country. And as screenwriter of the movie said, quote,
today's women don't just want to see women portrayed favorably.
They want to see women who can do anything, even
if that's lie, cheat, and fight for power and they

(21:57):
are seeking quote to have their anxieties record. Guys. But
even with all these good things and the things that
we love, there are controversies within K drama. For so
long before the direction of the different series change. Like
we just talked about, there are many problematic issues and
honestly they still are that made many viewers uncomfortable. The

(22:18):
series often romanticized abusive relationships with young with young love
and young dating. Also with the fact that the male,
often male protagonists often forcibly grabbing women's arms or like
pulling at them to kiss them or to make a
passionate speech, or how they continue to glance over things

(22:38):
like emotional and physical abuse towards children or towards housewives
or wives in general. And in twenty seventeen, it was
so bad that Musty International Korea actually reprimanded K dramas
or these types of portrayals. And then there are the
unrealistic standards set by many of these beautiful actors and actresses.
And though most do know that it is is unrealistic,

(23:01):
it doesn't change that the beauty industry profits a lot
from these series. Many of the more popular stars and
pop stars have their own cosmetic and beauty lines. The
Korean standard for women continues to haunt them, and having
these betrayals only perpetuates those standards. There's also very little
LGBTQ plus representation, and those things have been changing. The

(23:24):
country as a whole is not completely welcoming to that community.
Not unlike the US, the characters and storylines for gay
characters often seemed tokenized and queerbating, but they have made strides,
and in general, for anything that is deemed controversial, censorship
of content is common. In twenty fourteen, after a film

(23:45):
showed two girls kissing, they received a warning from the
Korea Communications Standards Commission for quote broken moral standards, and
as we said earlier, some of the content is often
criticized as queerbating. A specific category which came from Japanese
manga and anime titled bl Or Boys Love, which depicts

(24:06):
a relationship between two men, has been both praised and criticized.
Some of those criticisms include that they have only one
dimensional depictions, as well as it being seen as fetishism
for cis straight women, who are often the ones writing
and watching this specific content. And though the LGBTQ plus
community has received support from the country as a whole.

(24:29):
Like For instance, a Times article reported seven out of
ten South Koreans believe that it is wrong to discriminate
against sexual minorities. Still, representation has been lacking and the
government has not helped and pushing for more representation and
equality to the queer community. Even though yeah, most support
an antidiscrimination law that was proposed in twenty seventeen, it

(24:50):
might not be voted on until twenty twenty four, though, yeah,
if at all. Let's be honest and kind of similar
to what we talked about in our romance novel episode
conversation about is it giving unrealistic expectations in love? Some
feel that this type of drama often sets up its
viewers to fail. Is it healthy to expect that being
together with someone will solve all your problems? Of course,

(25:12):
not that the toxic then turned good guy will always
remain that good guy. Know that if there isn't magic
in a relationship, then it's not a good or real one.
So people keep It's kind of that holding of who
believes what and what are the expectations. I believe we
already talked about that. As being said, that's not typically
true for those who consume this, but you know it

(25:36):
is something to question. Sure, sure, Sure. However, there are
studies out there that show that some mental health professionals
use Katie dramas as a source. Some have talked about
how important shows like these help to stigmatize mental health issues,
and even have used these specific dramas as a conversation starter.
There's a therapist who uses it for marriage and family therapy.

(25:57):
The therapist Jenny y Chang told Forbes, in our culture,
there's a stigma to talking about even being depressed or
being anxious. Let me tie in a K drama and
it really connects with the parents, especially. Go ahead and
watch the scene. This is your homework. And even if
you have not watched the drama, they can watch this
scene and they'll come back to me and say, Okay,

(26:19):
now I can visualize what you mean. And it has
helped bridge the gap a little between cultures. So I
found that fascinating. That's something to note. Who knows, because
I will say, they are not afraid of showing emotion.
So much emotion, a lot of emotion. Again in the

(26:39):
sample set I have consumed. That was my experience. Yes,
that's true. Okay, So because we've done all of this,
and I did. You're like, let's let's talk about the
specific dramas, which shows we know that you did. Drama World,
give me a list of what you watched. I get
where I did your whole list? Did you? I did?

(27:00):
Because there was three I didn't finish. You did send
me several lists. I took a picture of it. I did. Okay,
so I haven't finished Goblin or Guardian, but I did.
I think I got to eight or nine, and they're
just what twenty sixteen sixteen. The last three are like
the specials of the behind the scenes. They are quite long.

(27:24):
I was not anticipating then. I didn't either, I think
because I was watching it and I was like, because
I saw I was on a free trial of the
Vicki Reckaton and I saw there was only two, and
I was like, okay, I'll get to the end of
this two and see how I'm doing. And I remember
at one point I was like, surely I've watched like

(27:44):
four already, not because I didn't like them, but because
I wasn't that much to happen anyone episode. Yes, there's
a lot, and then they have these breaks where you
don't quite know if it was the ending and this
is the whole like dramatic sound and lights, all of
the all of the effects. So yes, I agree with you. Also,

(28:06):
I did the same thing when I first watched the
two episodes. I was like, okay, I watched six episodes.
Cool and I was like, oh no, that was that
was those one too? Oh oh wow, Okay. When we
were doing this episode, was like, I'm gonna need a
second because I would like to get through this and
I did not realize I'm not even halfway through. And
I tried my best. I tried my d you did good.

(28:27):
You did good. This is one of those ones too,
Like I have seen many of people go back and
forth like it was again one of the most highly
rated shows because this was how this came out in
twenty sixteen. But like people were like, I didn't get
into it. It was hard to get into it. Is
it cold? Like I found it entertaining, but trying to
marathon this it's hard. So for me specifically these types

(28:49):
of dramas, I can do it, but it's a lot
harder to do than I expect because the episodes are
so long, and when it's shorter, you take the breaks,
but they do give you breaks with that dramatize the stuff.
It was fun. I mean, I enjoyed it. It was
not what I thought it was gonna be at all.
I like time jumps and yeah demons and grim Reapers,

(29:10):
and I love that they did a I think they
did a great job with a flashbox because you don't
quite know what's happening. You think you kind of know,
and there's some of the things that, yeah, I definitely
know this, but I was like, oh, oh, oh, it's
pretty funny too. It's a funny yes, I left at Yeah,
the fun of themselves. Yeah. Often, Yeah, that's what I

(29:32):
was gonna say. It was a lot of like we
realized this is kind of ridiculous, but yes, this grim
Reaper they're in a roommate situation and they don't like
each other, but they kind of like each other. Yes,
it's quite hilarious. They I don't know if you've made
it to the point. I'm sure you saw the which
by the way, I saw this clip in TikTok, the
walk up scene when they're rescuing her in the car.

(29:54):
Saw that that's okay. Did you see the throwback to it?
I think he actually makes a comment, it makes fun
of it, and they do a throwback and they completely
make fun of the whole thing. I think I just
got to the like big reveal. I won't spoil it,
but about like after the bus thing. Oh, that's where
I am. So I don't know if okay, I don't

(30:15):
think it, I would have no, you would have noticed it.
It was a very obvious. So there's a lot to
this and I really enjoyed what it was because this
is your very typical what you would think of as
k drama and Gong You, who is a huge celebrity
in Korea as well as outside of South Korea because

(30:35):
he was in Squid Games and so many more things.
He apparently had taken a hiatus and this was one
of his first acting gigs back, and so everybody was
super excited about his return. There's also a great point
where they make fun of him as the actor. They
actually say his name. I thought it was hilarious. I
was like, what was happening the one thing and again

(30:57):
I didn't we didn't talk about this with the problematic
things started to do a flip all of a sudden,
and I love this, but one of the biggest conversations
about it is the age gap in many of the
actors that portray it, the male protagonist to the female protagonist.
So we have a very like I was uncomfortable as
much as I enjoyed it, I was really uncomfortable by
the fact that she was a high schooler even though

(31:18):
she's nineteen. But he was obviously thirty nine and she's nineteen.
There's like so much awkwardness to me that I was like,
I don't I am not comfortable with any of this
conversation even though she was actually twenty five, right, she's
a twenty five year old. Is still the difference and ages,
which is so okay. Oftentimes when it's a man to

(31:39):
a woman, it is it could be a problem. Make
thing that's I cannot not think of that that is
not something that I can do. Right, did that with
the whole Game of Thrones, A House and Dragon. I
was like, I'm so uncomfortable with this whole situation that
I needed to look up their ages and who was
protecting these kids? Right? The one thing about KA dramas,

(32:00):
again though they don't do that romance flashy things that
I'm so uncomfortable with, even though it's insinuated and there's
an intimacy there, it's not physical intimacy, so it's kind
of like, ah, this is a problem, but at least
they don't do this, right, Yeah, I mean that was
one of my biggest hang ups too, especially like because
he's a I don't know, centuries year old god. It's

(32:22):
like hanging out outside for high school and asking her
about her test, don't we But I will say, like,
not in defensive but also it's not like our media
doesn't do that. It's when everyone That's why I was
like talking about the House of Dragons, like they do
that too, even worse to the point that they have
sexualized scenes. So that's to me of course, like it's

(32:44):
like a conversation, but the double standards that exist, yeah,
definitely is there. Right. Kind of thought the same thing
about Drama World because I had to check the age
of the leading actress to the leading protagonist males protacton
this because I was like, that's a huge age jump.
What's happening, right? Yeah, Yeah, I do think that's interesting,
and that's does show up a lot in our media,

(33:06):
but it sort of goes back. I did. I know
it's annoying, but I had so many that's like, I
see this in fan fiction all the time, but I do.
It's that thing again with kind of the power gap,
the kind of like the age gap, the power dynamic,
and it's just playing out in these dramas, which I
think there's a like multitude of reasons why that's happening, right,

(33:27):
But yeah, that was certainly something where I was like, Okay, yeah,
everyone seems to be okay, right, We're all good here, right,
I know we all have to check in a like
every I think, okay, everything okay, okay, okay. So what

(33:54):
else did you watch? I watched The Island, So I
only watched two episodes of the Island. So you've made
it way farther than I did in that one. I
watched The Swindlers in the Suspect. That was my list.
That is what I did. I did not watch. I don't.
I think there was a mixup because I did not
watch the show The Island. I watched the Korean movie

(34:15):
The Island, which I didn't have a lot of these
themes um so popular movie, but no, that's not the
one I was talking about. Well, there was a slight
mix up then I was impressed. I was like, oh,
I couldn't should I let her believe that? And I
was like to ask you, I think it would be

(34:36):
pretty obvious you were not. We're not talking about the
same one. It is a fantasy series in which it
has also have time travel. I think one of the
biggest appeals for me when it comes to you know what,
when it comes to a Game of Thrones as well
as Korean dramas like this, there's so much history, especially
when it comes to traditions, and there's so many mystical

(34:57):
ideas out there pertaining two specific history that it has
a wide array of plot abilities, Like there's so many
things that you could go through and not know. So
the Island similar. It's more action packed, a little more
horror base than Goblin slash Guardian because obviously that's a

(35:18):
little more romantic rather than this one. I did also
have you do two kay movies k drama movies at again. Gongyu. Sorry,
he's just He's just I just love him and I
adore him, and don't tell me anything bad. Actually, do
tell me so if there's some bad things that I
need know about him. But right now he has a
place in My Heart and the Suspect is actually the

(35:38):
first movie I saw with him, which I believe he
did soon after he was discharged from his military stint
that he is required to do in South Korea. And
it has a very common theme that many of the
South Korean movies have, which is the North Korean South
Korean spy aspect. It does. It is very reminiscent of

(36:00):
the born identity. Yes, I know, but has gone you
and I love it. And apparently he and the actors
have portrayed the reporter has actually done several movies together,
so they just won recently. That's supposed to be really good,
so but it is. It also has the losing of
the wife turned enemy thing, finding of the child. There's

(36:21):
always a child involved, yeah, and of course a lot
of fighting and a lot of guns. And the one
angry good guy who you don't really root for because
he's always angry, and the one dorky dude who is
kind of the clown that is in many of those movies.
How did you feel about that movie? I liked it

(36:41):
a lot, I would say for both of them. Excellent
action sequences, kind of surprisingly more. Maybe this is just me,
but I was like, wow, this is got violent pretty quick,
or like sad, like a death very quickly though you're
supposed to connect to and like wait a minute, whoa
they do tragedy very quickly. I will say that same

(37:02):
thing with a Swindler. The immediate like death and you're
like what just happened. But there's a lot of like
twists and turns where you kind of enjoy it. You
definitely have the villain, like there's an obvious villain. It
did kind of like go through the Ocean's eleven type
of trip because you don't quite know what's happening, somewhat
predictable but not quite predictable. I really enjoyed it though.

(37:23):
I think that both of those movies it's violent but wholesome. Yeah.
That way, it was like Bourne identity. It wasn't like
anything yeah that we don't see a lot in our
immedia at all. I think I was just like not
expecting those like oh, that person's dead. Now you have
the catalyst and both of those things. I didn't even

(37:46):
give you those movies that I liked that are traumatic. Yeah,
I'm not going to do this to you because it's
that Yeah. Yeah, I will say Korean horror movies do
not hold back. They will mess with you real hard. Yeah, yeah, yes, yes,
like I've been traumatized by those. When they go in,

(38:08):
they go all the way in. It seems well, well ady,
come samny Da. Thank you so much for joining me
in this journey as I talk about some of the
things that I have rediscovered in this familiarity in k dramas,
and also about why and how the US and non
Korean people are just falling in love and continuing to

(38:30):
fall in love. I really do hope that it continues
to grow because I feel like it does open up
a lot of conversations and ways. Again, I want to
get Marissa's opinion on some things. I would love to
hear her mother's opinions on some of these things as well,
because I know she's got a list waiting for you
as well. I'm interested in this list. Well, that's why
I had the pictures on my phone RADI to go,
because I sent your list to her to give to

(38:52):
her mom. But yeah, I really want to see this
list as well. Yeah, I'm intrigued. Yes, Well, thank you
for the the homework. I had a good time doing it.
I'm sure we will revisit it soon. Yes, yes, yes, yes,
and listeners. If you've got any recommendations. I have a
feeling much of some good recommendations out there. Yes, please
let us know. You can emails at Steffandie you mom

(39:14):
stuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find us on
Twitter at Mom's to podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok
at stuff I've Never Told You. You can also find
us on YouTube. Thanks as always too, our super producer Christina,
our executive producer Maya, and contributor extraordinaire Joey. You couldn't
do it without you. Thank you so much, and thanks
to you for listening. Steff I Never Told You production

(39:37):
of iHeartRadio. For more podcast in my Heart Radio, you
can check out the Heart Radio, a Apple podcast I'll
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