[2022 Year in Review] Bean of Shame
by DB Staff
Bean of Greatness, Bean of Disappointment… what’s next? The Bean of Shame! It’s time to serve the bean that you give either to the drama that was legitimately shameful, or the one that you shamelessly loved. Because there ain’t no shame like drama shame.
mistyisles: I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone that my Bean of Shame goes to Jinxed at First. I genuinely thought the show had potential, but it quickly became clear that Jinxed wasn’t interested in, shall we say, the same things I was. What could have been a whimsical fairytale about taking ownership of your life turned into… not that. But that’s actually not why I’m giving it my Bean of Shame — no, I bestow this bean solely for that one press conference scene where Jinxed had its women publicly defend the generations of men who had enslaved them, and not for any nuanced reason, either. It could have been an empowering moment for those characters to tell their own story with their own voices, but instead it was all about lying to protect their abusers’ business and reputation. That was basically the point of no return for me, though it probably shouldn’t have taken that long.
DaebakGrits: Since 2022 didn’t give me any dramas that I shamelessly watched, I decided to take the Game of Thrones approach, and if there were ever a K-drama that I wanted to march naked through a crowd of spectators while ringing a bell of shame, it would be Why Her? Shame on you for ruining a strong, confident female lead character! (*rings bell*) Shame on you for having a boring and awkward hot-for-teacher romance! (*rings bell*) Shame on you for bus-of-dooming a little girl for the sake of a cheap, last minute ratings boost leading into the finale! (*rings bell*). I could keep going, but I don’t have all night to rehash my complaints, which I made no attempt to hide in my later weecaps, which are such a stark contrast to my first few weeks of coverage. Oh, how naive I was in the beginning, thinking this drama would be an epic tale of revenge helmed by a strong female character. Shame on you, Why Her?, for disappointing your viewers.
Unit: I started Love in Contract for Park Min-young, and while it turned out to be one of the silliest dramas the rom-com queen has ever starred in, I came out a renewed fan of Go Kyung-pyo — or more accurately, his character, Jung Ji-ho. Like many shows this year, what was supposed to be a simple rom-com ended up being a mismatch of genres, but I never once considered dropping the drama — and it’s not just because I was covering it. Strangely enough, despite the many problems the drama had, I enjoyed it shamelessly. And if I had the chance to, I’d do it all over again to see more of Ji-ho’s cooking scenes. And his drunken self. And his interactions with Amy (Jamie) the cat. And posting his problems on the office’s anonymous board. And him just being his amazing introverted self.
Dramaddictally: This was a tough one for me because I don’t really feel ashamed of my dramas. If I made it through something I hated, that feels like crossing a finish line (I win!). And if I had a “guilty pleasure,” well, that just means I loved a drama! But when I thought harder about why I loved particular dramas, then I felt a twinge of shame and I knew exactly where it rested: Yumi’s Cells 2. I loved this drama. Beyond love, even, I obsessed over it — I’ve already watched it twice more since it originally aired. And while I loved Season 1 for all its wit and ability to capture the human psyche, there is no question that I loved Season 2 mostly because of Jinyoung. (To recap that: I’ve gone from analytical appreciation of a drama to a crazy, stupid crush on a boy.) It’s true that Yoo Bobby has a fan club for a reason, but the fact that I’m still rockin’ my “BB” t-shirt all these months later does feel a little shameful.
RELATED POSTS
[2022 Year in Review] Bean of Shame
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily
0 Comments