Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Episodes 3 & 4

slam dunk!
It’s been ages since I fell in love with an airing drama.

I’m talking about stalking Soompi forums, watching raws AND subs, and learning Korean at TalkToMeInKorean.com-level love. The last time this happened was for Sungkyunkwan Scandal, which aired over a year ago, and before that, for 2009′s Boys Before Flowers (which took my love and pooped on it).

Now it’s Flower Boy Ramyun Shop‘s turn. I’m happy to say that episodes 3 & 4 justified my addiction by adding emotional depth to the storyline, showing us refreshing new sides to Eun-bi & Chi-soo, and introducing amusing second lead Choi Kang-hyuk. Fingers crossed future episodes keep the momentum going.

Since Dramabeans is already recapping this drama (superfast, too!), I’m only doing screencaps and commentary. Since this post is spoilery and long, I’ve also put it behind the fold. Keep in mind I wrote this before episode 5 & 6 came out; I’ll work hard to be faster with commentary in the future. Can’t wait to see your comments!

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Park Shi-hoo Lovers’ Guide to Queen of Reversals: Episode 5

uh oh
I enjoyed this episode less than episode 4, since the major plot points revolve around Jun-soo and Manager Mok (*snooze*). As a result, this recap is shorter, and I’ve condensed the timelines of some events. As always, I’ve included beginning time code (minutes:seconds) for all Park Shi-hoo scenes.

Also, since I’ve received a few comments about it: I am still recapping Queen of Reversals! I’m just super slow. But I plan on recapping up to ep. 25 at least.

Episode 5

look who's here kang-woo
We start off with replay of the end of episode 4, only with 10 times more footage of Tae-hee crying. She pulls herself together fast, though, and tails the chaebol & his assistant out to the parking lot (1:33). Seeing her, Yong-shik asks incredulously, “Yesterday at the dinner and now here at the company?” In response, Tae-hee holds up his phone.

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Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Episode 1 and 2

shushing technique
I LOVE Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. I’ve been dying for a good trendy romcom, and this might be The One (I hear bells ringing, you guys). The drama checks a lot of boxes: a former gangster heroine, hot dudes, food, quick pacing, and lots of plot potential. Also, two episodes in, and we still haven’t met the second male lead or moved into the ramyun shop. Which makes me hopeful that the drama will be able to keep a steady pace till the end, without flagging or artificial tensions in the second half.

Also good: Dramafever already has episode 1 up and subbed. Both javabeans & girlfriday at Dramabeans love the drama, so recaps are also available at super-speed. The only thing lacking at the moment is the drama’s fanbase: I haven’t found many other blogs talking about it, and even the Soompi forums seem quiet for this kind of trendy drama.

So I plan to write about it here. Since Dramabeans is recapping it (and since I’m the slowest recapper on earth), I’m going to post just screencaps and commentary each week. I hope you’ll watch and love the drama too, and then we can party in the comments.

What’s Good

sparkles
Question: in the opening scene: where is his luggage? Do the rich not need luggage?

Okay, so Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (FBRS) is blatantly derivative. Since it’s borrowing from dramas I enjoyed, however, that’s a good thing. So far it’s borrowed from Biscuit Teacher Star Candy/Hello My Teacher (e.g., the opening scene, the high school punk & former gangster teacher relationship),… [Read more...]

Park Shi-hoo Lovers’ Guide to Queen of Reversals: Episode 4

well hello ladies...
Well hello, ladies (and some gentlemen). Did you miss me?

Here, finally, is the Queen of Reversals episode 4 recap I’ve been promising. It’s a full recap, too (3474 words!), unlike the partials from before. Again, I’ve inserted starting time code (minutes:seconds) for all Goo Yong-shik/Park Shi-hoo scenes, should you need it. Enjoy!

Episode 4

queen of reversals episode 4
Jun-soo arrives at lay-off headquarters, and is amused to see Yong-shik (00:15). His amusement fades, however, as he realizes that his former army kicking boy “Private Goober” is actually the Restructuring HQ Head.

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Park Shi-hoo Lovers’ Guide to Queen of Reversals: Episode 3

queen of reversals episode 3
I didn’t realize how much plot QoR jammed into each episode until I started doing recaps. It’s impressive (and a little daunting). Also, from now on, I’ll mark Park Shi-hoo scenes with a time code, e.g., 43:21 (minutes:seconds). It’s a ridiculous fangirl thing to do, but some of you might find it useful.

Episode 3

Hwang Tae-hee quits, and goes down in a blaze of glory. First, she smacks Yeo-jin in the forehead with her resignation letter. Then she gives Yeo-jin the “take this job & shove it” speech everyone hopes they’ll deliver.

take this job & shove it
Tae-hee tells Yeo-jin that while she (Tae-hee) did many things as Team Leader, she never stooped so low as to take credit for someone else’s work. She warns Yeo-jin that ambition without ability isn’t enough to succeed and that Yeo-jin’s nasty tactics might work in the short term, but she’ll be undone by them in the end. Tae-hee finishes it off with a classic “have my things mailed to me, trash,” and stomps out, leaving Yeo-jin breathless with rage.

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Park Shi-hoo Lovers’ Guide to Queen of Reversals, Episodes 1-2

park shi hoo queen of reversals
As much as I enjoy this drama, it’s not uniformly interesting. Like most viewers, I’m in it for Park Shi-hoo, Kim Nam-joo, & Im Ji-kyu. So, rather than an official set of recaps, I bring you the Park Shi-hoo highlights edition, with bare bones summaries to help you skim the rest.

Episode 1

*First & foremost: There is NO Park Shi-hoo in this episode. Feel free to skip it.*

tiger lady
Hwang Tae-hee (Kim Nam-joo) is a successful research & design team leader for Queens Cosmetics. She’s also a stone-cold bitch (think Diane Keaton’s “Tiger Lady” character in Baby Boom), hated & feared by her staff, particularly the scheming Baek Yeo-jin (Chae Jung-ahn). Her saving grace? She’s excellent at her job, and close to her mentor, company honcho Han Song-yi (Ha Yoo-mi).

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Unexpected Drama Crack: Queen of Reversals

women on the verge almodovar
“Here’s the deal, scriptwriters. Just give Goo Yong-shik the girl, and no one gets hurt.”

I didn’t plan on watching Queen of Reversals for one reason: Park Shi-hoo was set to play second banana to Jung Jun-ho. While I like Jung Jun-ho, that casting made no sense. So I turned up my nose and rewatched Prosecutor Princess.

Persistent posting by Dramabeans’ girlfriday kept the drama on my radar, however, and when I heard that Park Shi-hoo might actually win this one, I decided to watch. Aaaand now I’m obsessed.

Sadly for my obsession, no one else is blogging this. Most are watching Secret Garden and/or holding out on QoR to see who ends up with the girl. After episode 22, though, I’m convinced things are going Park Shi-hoo’s way. So watch with me!

REASONS TO WATCH QOR (DO IT! DO IT!):

ahjumma kryponite park shi hoo
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