2021 Jaybird Awards

2021 Jaybird Awards

As 2022 draws to a close I am increasingly aware that I never did a Jaybird Awards post for the K-Dramas of 2021. I’m sorry 2021. The main reason for this is just that I didn’t really watch that many dramas last year (and even less this year…) so it felt kind of superfluous, and also felt as though I wouldn’t be doing the dramas of 2021 any justice- because I had missed so many of them! So for 2021 and for 2022 when it comes to a close, rather than sticking to my usual structure of Awards, I’ll be giving every single drama I watched in 2021 an award (or at least a runner up). They won’t be the best or the worst out of all 2021 K-Dramas, only of the small handful I’ve managed to watch. Hopefully 2023 is less hectic and I’ll get more time to dedicate to watching K-Dramas and writing reviews.

Best Mystery/Thriller:

Beyond Evil

This was by far one of the best dramas of 2021. I pride myself a fair bit on being able to guess twists and surprises in TV shows and movies, and I have to say, I just had no idea who was behind anything in ‘Beyond Evil’. And not in a confused, what the heck is happening, nothing makes sense way, but in a layered, everyone has something to hide way. The acting in this was PHENOMENAL. I haven’t seen Shin Ha Kyun in anything before but wow, that man can act. He perfectly balanced between being creepy and being desperate. The whole cast was fabulous and the storytelling was tight, well paced and addictive. It was a great mystery, a great thriller, and an all around great show.

Runner Up: The Silent Sea

 

Best RomCom:

Mr. Queen

It was one of the first dramas in 2021 that I watched, and I clearly remember thinking ‘jeez, it’s going to be hard to beat this one’. It was quirky without being ridiculous and low-stakes without being boring. The writers gave themselves plenty of space to bring in plot with palace politics, but thankfully never let the show get bogged down in too much angst or boring politicking which can often happen to romcoms in historical settings. This drama also gave us Shin Hye Sun doing comedy which was something I didn’t realise I needed in my life until ‘Mr Queen’.

Runner Up: Yumi’s Cells

 

Best Melodrama AND Jaybird’s Choice:

Navillera

I don’t usually like melodramas. I find them too slow and either too cringey or too depressing. But I adored ‘Navillera’. It was a beautiful story with wonderful characters and an extremely talented cast to back it up. Good dramas are the ones that make you feel something towards the story and the characters, and ‘Navillera’ did just that. It was a lovely story and I am glad that I took the time to experience this well-crafted show.

 

Cutest Cast:

Racket Boys

I nearly bowed out of this drama after the first episode because it was young, silly and nothing made sense. And then I realised that I had started on episode four which is why nothing made sense. After starting from the first episode the show was still young and silly, but it had a certain heart and warmth to it that made it an enjoyable watch. So much of this came from the group of young actors portraying the main cast. They brought a great energy to the show and did a great job at showcasing their growing talents as actors. ‘Racket Boys’ was a sweet story with a charming young ensemble.

 

Worst Second Male Lead:

Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick

Second male leads can be a tricky thing to navigate. You don’t want them to be too swoony otherwise they will overshadow the male lead and none of the viewers will be on board with the main romance. But you also don’t want them to be too terrible, because otherwise why is the heroine even considering them? Hitting that sweet spot in the middle where the second lead is fabulous but just not the right fit for the heroine is where every drama love-triangle aims to be. And that’s exactly where ‘Sunbae’ ISN’T. Lee Jae Shin was a long-term cheater, a liar, and all around *sshole. I didn’t want to watch him on my screen any more than was necessary, and I certainly didn’t want to watch that bulls*t redemption arc the show gave him. He’s just gross.

 

Most Popular:

Squid Game

‘Squid Game’ was a massive success. And rightly so- it was a great drama. I wouldn’t say it’s the best drama I’ve ever seen (I wouldn’t even say it’s the best drama I saw in 2021!), but it was by far the most talked about K-Drama I’ve ever seen. It was addictive and unique and massively appealing to both people who watch K-Dramas regularly, and those who don’t.

 

Most Depressing:

D.P

Objectively this was a good show. But did I like it? No. No I did not. I kind of don’t know why people make shows like this. I guess there’s something to be said about a drama showing realism in order to make social commentary, but to be honest I don’t want to watch characters get physically and emotionally abused in my free time. It’s just not fun. Nothing good happened in ‘D.P’- it was a dark show full of selfish and hateful people and an authority body that did nothing to protect the vulnerable from people who would take advantage of them. Low-key regret watching this one to be honest...

Runner Up: One Ordinary Day

 

Most Forgettable:

The Veil

Apparently I watched this? I remember seeing Namgoong Min in a revenge mystery/thriller and this must be it. I do not remember anything that happened. I think there were some good fight scenes though, and I’ also pretty sure I remember thinking that all the hero’s problems would have been solved if he’d just never given himself amnesia in the first place? But yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s a show. That I did indeed watch.

Runner Up: The Witch’s Diner

 

Least Convincing Couple AND Biggest Disappointment:

Doom At Your Service

I disliked this show. I disliked it quite a bit. There were so many things wrong with it. But there were so many things that should have been right with it- which is why it ended up feeling like such a massive disappointment. My expectations were far too high. It had Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk- the chemistry should have been so intense it was short-circuiting my laptop! Instead we got barely a fizzle. The whole plotline had varying levels of frustration throughout, and the story just didn’t really incorporate the fantasy elements very well. It ended up being quite a struggle to get through all the episodes this drama had as it was so slow moving, and really, I just didn't care after a certain point.

 

Highest Body Count:

Mouse

K-Drama loves a good serial killer storyline. Even romcoms can’t get away from it. I guess nothing heightens the tension in a show quite like the possibility that anyone could die- regardless of if it fits the genre or not. And ‘Mouse’ had not one but TWO serial killers! Such tension! (I mean not really, the whole show felt strangely both too confusing and too predictable at the same time). But boy were there a lot of deaths. And I mean a LOT. People were dying left, right and centre. Strangers, family members, main characters- no one was safe. I think all in all the drama could have come together better than it did, but boy the writers did not care about who they killed off and in a world that is filled to the brim of characters protected by plot armour, it's a pretty refreshing direction for a drama to take.

 

Best Sequel:

Hospital Playlist 2

This is basically a continuation of the first season- you could go through watching the last episode of Season 1 to the first episode of Season 2 and probably not even know you had entered a new season. The show gave viewers everything they loved about the first season, but just changed up the development and the main plot points a bit so we weren’t given an exact replica. The cast and characters remained delightful and the story remained engaging and heartfelt. A win all around.

 

Most Haunted:

Sell Your Haunted House

Was this the only show I watched with ghosts in it in 2021? Maybe. Do I remember much about the ghosts? Not really. Jang Nara gave a wonderful performance and I appreciated her taking on a darker role that her usual chipper, baby faced, loveable heroines. Jung Yong Hwa was passable in his role. There were ghosts and possession and a mystery that centred around the death of our heroine’s Mum, and it was a pretty good ghost show all things considered.

Mr Queen

 Mr Queen

8.5/10

Mr Queen

Genre:                                       Episodes: 20                         Year: 2021

Romance

Comedy

Historical

Synopsis:

A male chef, Jang Bong Hwan, works at the President’s Blue House. After an accident he wakes to find himself inside the body of Queen Kim So Yong in the Joseon period, who is wife to King Cheoljong who is remembered in history as an ineffective king who was beheaded for treason.

Cast:

Shin Hye Sun (Kim So Yong)

Kim Jung Hyun (King Cheoljong)

Na In Woo (Kim Byeong In)

Seol In Ah (Jo Hwa Jin)

Bae Jong Ok (Queen Suwon)

Cha Chung Hwa (Court Lady Choi)

Chae Seo Eun (Hong Yeon)

Yoo Min Kyu (Prince Youngpyeong)

Lee Jae Won (Director Hong)

Kim In Kwon (Royal Chef Man Bok)

Jo Yeon Hee (Queen Dowager)

Kim Tae Woo (Kim Jwa Geun)

General Thoughts:

And another year is off to a good start! A really good start! I thought this show was going to be a little piece of silliness that ran out of steam halfway through, so hearing that the ratings kept increasing really surprised me. But now I can see why!

This was a great dose of humour I didn't realise I needed

There have been some belated issues with the show- after ‘Joseon Exorcist’ was cancelled due to historical inaccuracies, ‘Mr Queen’ started to get accused of the same sorts of things. As a non-Korean I can’t really comment on these sort of inaccuracies as my knowledge of actual historical events is extremely limited, so this review won’t really be able to touch on those aspects of the drama. While not a whole lot really went on in this show, watching Bong Hwan have to adapt to living not only in the Joseon era, but also in a female body was really fun.

Bong Hwan's internal conflict was quite fun

 I was a little nervous about how they were going to handle the romance (because we all knew there was going to be romance), but I was surprisingly satisfied with the way the writers managed to pull it off. Having Bong Hwan and Kim So Yong almost start to fuse together by having So Yong’s memories come back to Bong Hwan was an interesting way to have the romance start to have some serious footing. As So Yong was already in love with Choljong before Bong Hwan possessed her, this was an easy explanation to accept why Bong Hwan, a previous womaniser, was starting to develop romantic feelings for the king- a man. I also think the show handled the romance well from the King’s perspective as well. I always find that it can be tricky to have a main character start the show in love with someone who isn’t the other lead, but the writers did a great job at showing how Cheoljong’s feelings for Hwa Jin were diminishing while feelings for his Queen were growing. A great part of that was trust and communication. Hwa Jin stopped communicating with the King and started acting on her own for what she thought was best. This opened the door for the King to realise just how willing and able So Yong was to helping him and gave the initial opportunity for feelings of trust, security and eventually romance to start to develop. The gradual shift in emotions between the two leads was extremely smooth, and it is a great credit to the writers that Cheoljong never came off as a two-timer despite him being…kinda a two-timer.

So Yong's sass was also top level

The plot for ‘Mr Queen’ was overall pretty simple- the King is trying to gain power in order be a King that benefits the people of his country, and in doing so he must dismiss all the corrupt officials. And then Bong Hwan is thrown into the Queen’s body to complicate things a bit. I think the simplicity of the plot is actually what worked in the show’s favour. I was never confused about who the characters were or what their agendas were- I could simply enjoy watching the tug of war between the Cho and Kim clan, with So Yong being stuck in the middle as a member of the Kim clan, but also the King’s wife.

Every costume in this drama was on point

The plots going on in the palace could be overly simple, but it was entertaining to watch how So Yong was able to combat each issue and emerge victorious in her own way. I thoroughly enjoyed all the kitchen scenes and seeing how a modern day chef used their cooking ability to impress and amaze people in the Joseon era. It was a good way to remind us that despite how well So Yong was managing in the palace, she was actually an outsider and someone who didn’t belong. The kitchen scenes were a great source of humour, and I actually really liked all the characters that came to congregate there. At first I found the Royal Chef to be a bit abrasive, but I warmed up to him pretty quickly, and quite enjoyed his romance with Court Lady Choi. The acting was all really fabulous, and all the actors matched each others’ energy really well. After watching ‘Zombie Detective’ last year, I found out that I love Choi Jin Hyuk in comedy. In the starting episodes when we had Shin Hye Sun acting with Choi Jin Hyuk doing the internal monologues and voice-overs I was in absolute heaven. Shin Hye Sun brought a similar style of comedy that Choi Jin Hyuk had shown in the first episode that was set in the present day, and together the two really sold the idea of a male chef in a historical Queen’s body. I was a bit sad when we lost Choi Jin Hyuk as So Yong’s internal voice, but do agree that it was needed as a way to move the romance forwards. The supporting cast were all fabulous too- Bae Jong Ok did a phenomenal job as the Grand Queen Dowager- she could appear very threatening and cunning, but could also soften that hard edge so that her character could still fit in believably in a show that was heavy on comedy.

I also kind of loved that the political drama mainly centred around the female characters

I think being a villain in a comedy show can be tricky- if the villain is too threatening it takes away from the humour, but if they aren’t threatening enough then the plot can start to drag and lose momentum. Bae Jong Ok hit a great balance between the two and made an interesting antagonist for our main leads to fight against. Cha Chung Hwa was a particular stand out for me also. I tend to find over-acting for comedy a bit cringe inducing, but Cha Chung Hwa was able to push those boundaries a bit without her or her character becoming ridiculous.

Man, I did not expect this friendship but it was wonderful 

I thoroughly enjoyed the style of comedy that she brought to the show, and both her and Chae Seo Eun (who played Hong Yeon) were a great support to Shin Hye Sun and the tree made a great, hilarious team. While I wouldn’t say that Kim Byeong In was a character that made smart decisions in this drama, I did like the way that Na In Woo portrayed him. I feel a bit sad for him in that while almost every other character had a comedic edge, he (and also Seol In Ah as Hwa Jin) had to be almost completely serious. It’s not something that I consciously noticed while watching the drama, but looking back Na In Woo didn’t really get to trial out any comedy. That being said, he is a great emotional actor, and he bought a lot of depth to his character. While I thought Byeong In made a lot of unintelligent choices, the emotions that Na In Woo brought were always very real, and despite knowing that Byeng In was doing a dumb thing, I could believe Byeong In’s convictions behind his actions. There were a whole host of interesting and fun characters in this drama, and watching them all come together and interact was great to watch. The only downside I would say was Prince Youngpyeong who was far too serious for this show (and not in an okay and believable way like Byeong In). He was pretty bland and in the background for the majority of the show, but his severe and unwarranted distrust of So Yong in the later stages of the drama were a bit boring.

The Prince so didn't even need to be in story

By that stage So Yong had proven her loyalty to the King and his cause so many times that the Prince’s doubt of her was quite grating and made him a bit dislikable. Unfortunately I just didn’t think Yoo Min Kyu had the gravitas nor the raw emotional pull to really sell his love for Hwa Jin, so their whole reconciliation and love-line fell pretty flat at the end. 

What Was Great:

Leads:

Shin Hye Sun for me has always been bit like Seo Ye Ji. My mind has told me ‘wow, this is a very good actress’, but I have never been that excited seeing Shin Hye Sun’s name attached to a project, and I never suuuper warmed up to her or her characters (though I did like both her performance and her character in ‘Thirty but Seventeen'). But just like Seo Ye Ji blew me out of the water last year and made me fall in love with her in 'It’s Okay To not Be Okay’, so to did Shin Hye Sun here.

She brought SO much energy to the character and to the drama as a whole

This was a brilliant role for her. She felt like she had more fun in this role than she has previously, and the type of comedy in this show suited her acting talent really well. Shin Hye Sun manages to never really over-act anything, so I think bringing her in here for a role and situation that is inherently ridiculous helped to ground the comedy a bit and not make it seem too forced or far-fetched.

Watching them go from enemies to lovers was such a wild, fun rid

And that’s not to say that Shin Hye Sun was serious- far from it. She was very fun and much of the humour of the show stemmed from her character and her reactions and interactions with the other characters in the palace. She had wonderful chemistry with Cha Chung Hwa and Chae Soo Eun who played her Court Lady and Maid and the scenes that had the three of them together were truly enjoyable to watch. She also had great chemistry with Kim Jung Hyun which was good to see. Kim Jung Hyun can be really great as a romantic character, but I think he struggles if the actress with him isn’t up to scratch. The romance between So Yong and Cheoljong was very believable, which is a great feat considering that for most of the show’s run, So Yong was actually a man’s spirit/soul inside So Yong’s body. The dynamic between the leads was fun and filled with humour, but there was enough sincerity and emotion between the two that gave gravitas to their relationship, and the story as a whole. Kim Jung Hyun delivered a strong performance, and the slow reveal of his true colours to his Queen was lovely to watch unfold. He played both the ‘naive’ puppet king and the strong, scheming king well, and was able to really draw the audience into Cheljong’s struggles and help us viewers feel the weight of each of Cheoljong’s decisions. Individually the two leads were brilliant, and they were also brilliant on playing off each other and using each others’ strengths to really bring us a lively, fun show. 

Having them each become the other's biggest supporter was so lovely

Not So Serious Sageuk:

Ever since ‘Moonlight Drawn By Clouds’ was being promoted, I realised that I really wanted to watch a more light romance in a Joseon setting.

Can we have more like this please?

But barring short shows like ‘My Only Love Song’ and ‘Splash Splash Love’, all sageuk romances that I have watched seem to disintegrate into over-complicated palace plots of treason and ministers and boredom. Even ‘100 Days My Prince’ which told us it was going to be a fluffy rom-com ended up this way! And now finally, finally, I have a drama that has satisfied my craving. ‘Mr Queen’ wasn’t exactly a light drama, and there were certainly major plot points that revolved around politics, but for me it hit that perfect balance of silly and serious. It didn’t delve so far into the palace politics that we lost out on the romance or the fun happening between our leads or the other characters, but it also didn’t run out of storyline- the show never felt stagnant and there was always something happening in the plot that moved the story and the characters forward. This was a thoroughly enjoyable show from start to finish, and I think so much of that was due to the right tone and balance being found between the humour and the emotion of the story. 

What Wasn’t:

Second Leads Mentality:

I struggled a bit with getting to like the two second leads, Hwa Jin and Byeong In. While by the end of the show I really liked their trajectories and how their storylines both played out, I wasn’t 100% sold on how we got there.

Get it together, Byeong In

Because So Yong was such a fun character, at the start of the show it was a little easy to forget that the palace was a world where people are killed all the time for very inconsequential reasons. So of course Byeong In and Hwa Jin don’t want to trust anyone new and put themselves and the people they care for at risk.

Hwa Jin- guaranteed to make any situation worse

It was just a little frustrating as a viewer to watch how So Yong/Bong Hwan continuously did the right thing- she protected King Cheoljong and she always told Byeong In where her head and heart were at so he could never misunderstand. And yet Hwa Jin never trusted her and constantly thought So Yong was an emery, and Byeong In for some absurd reason known only to himself thought that killing the King would make So Yong safe and maybe even love him? Yeah he gets double stupid points for that one. The show managed to redeem Byeong In’s poor choices at the end where he ended up dying so So Yong could find the King and return to the palace, but unfortunately there was less of this for Hwa Jin. She is exiled from the palace because her character tries too hard to mess around in the King’s plan (and ends up putting him in more danger), and she just sort of seems to come around to So Yong not being an evil manipulator while she’s exiled. I maybe would have liked her to have had a bigger impact in the story towards the end, as her character just quietly diminishing, while great news on one hand due to the King not having to ditch So Yong for Hwa Jin anymore, did just kind of turn her into a lame character that didn’t really contribute much to Cheoljong’s victories. 

Recommend?

10000%. This drama is great and had the perfect balance of romance, comedy and political intrigue. 

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a rom-com this much