KDRAMA SPOTLIGHT
GLITCH (10 Episodes)
Jihyo (Jeon Yeo-been) doesn’t believe in aliens. At least that’s what she tries to tell herself. Unfortunately, aliens seem to believe in her. They appear to her everywhere. Terrorizing her and causing her to suffer. Or do they? She wonders if they are hallucinations and if they will go away if she could just manage to ignore them. Her parents worry that she will never be able to lead a normal life. Her long-time boyfriend, Siguk, just wants to know if she can ever move past her issues enough to start a life together with him. All these questions come to a head when Siguk suddenly disappears and Jihyo suspects that he may have been abducted by aliens.
In Jihyo’s search to discover what happened to her missing boyfriend, she reconnects with a brash and unruly childhood friend named Bo-ra (Nana from After School). Bo-ra definitely believes in aliens. She’s been chasing them for years, despite not being able to see them like Jihyo and it’s this connection that allows Jihyo to truly believe herself. It’s also this connection that elevates the show from a cute hybrid scifi/drama. Many kdramas, no matter the genre, still center some type of romance in their story. Glitch firmly puts these two unusual females in the spotlight, independently and together. Both women rebel against the confines of society’s expectations of them. The aliens are just part of why Jihyo doesn’t fit in. She also is uninterested in the typical life her parents and boyfriend want for her.
The show uses the alien conceit to examine a lot of different themes; loneliness, religion, belief, ennui, and friendship. This exploration plus a fairly well-crafted mystery makes the show a worth-while watch on top of the compelling two leads. On the downside, the pacing isn’t the best and the blend of genres can be a bit clumsy. Overall though, this show is recommended.
Available on Netflix. Premiered October 7th. Starring Jeon Yeo-been, Nana, Lee Dong-hwi, and Ryu Kyung-soo.
OTHER NOTABLE OCTOBER 2022 RELEASES
Netflix
Cheer Up – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 3rd (also airing on Viki Plus)
o Synopsis – A poor student gets an opportunity to change her life by joining the a prestigious university cheering squad, however she soon finds herself caught up in a campus mystery.
o Main Cast: Han Ji-hyun, Bae In-hyuk, Kim Hyun-jin, Jang Gyu-ri, Lee Eun-saem, Yang Dong-geu
o Trailer:
Love is for Suckers – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 5th (also airing on Viki Plus)
o Synopsis – Two long time friends unexpectedly develop feelings for each other while working together on a tv show.
o Main Cast: Super Junior’s Choi Si-won, Lee Da-hee
o Trailer:
Bad Prosecutor – 12 episodes
o Release Date: October 5th (also airing on Viki Plus)
o Synopsis – Doh Kyung-soo (EXO’s D.O) stars as a prosecutor who takes an unconventional approach to getting justice.
o Main Cast: Doh Kyung-soo, Lee Se-hee, Ha Joon, Joo Bo-young, Lee Si-eon, Kim Sang-ho
o Trailer:
Yonder – 6 episodes
o Release Date: October 14th
o Synopsis – A grieving widower receives an invitation to visit his dead wife in a mysterious place called Yonder.
o Main Cast: Han Ji Min, Shin Ha Kyun
o Trailer:
The Queen’s Umbrella – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 15th
o Synopsis – A feisty, hot-tempered queen fights to prepare her two troublesome sons for their royal duty in Joseon.
o Main Cast: Kim Hye-soo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Won-young
o Trailer:
May I Help You – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 19th
o Synopsis – A gig worker who runs errands and a funeral director who grants the wishes of the dead team up to run a task company.
o Main Cast: Lee Hye-ri, Yoon Doo-joon
o Trailer:
Curtain Call – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 23rd (Also coming soon on Viki Plus)
o Synopsis – A young theater actor helps to fulfill the dying wishes of an old woman by pretending to be her grandson.
o Main Cast: Go Doo Shim, Kang Ha-neu, Ha Ji-won, Sung Do Il
o Trailer:
The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate – 16 episodes
o Release Date: October 29th (Also coming soon on Viki Plus as Reborn Rich)
o Synopsis – A wronged company man is killed and wakes up in the body of a chaebol. He decides to take revenge on the family who took his life.
o Main Cast: Song Joong-ki, Lee Sung-Min, Shin Hyun-bin, Yoon Je-moon, Kim Jung-nan, Jo Han-chul
o Trailer:
Viki Rakuten
Vengeance of the Bride – 100 episodes
o Release Date: October 10th
o Synopsis: A woman pretends to be the daughter-in-law of her enemy in order to seek revenge.
o Main Cast: Park Ha-na, Kang Ji-seub, Park Yoon-jae, Oh Seung-ah
o Trailer:
Game of Witches (aka Witch’s Game) – 120 episodes
o Release Date: October 11th
o Synopsis: A revenge melodrama cetered around mothers and daughters.
o Main Cast: Jang Seo-hee, Oh Chang-seok, Kim Kyu-seon, Han Ji-wan, Lee Jung-gil, Yoon Mi-ra
o Trailer:
The Love in Your Eyes – 120 episodes
o Release Date: October 3rd
o Synopsis: A widow falls in love with a man who has the donated corneas of her late husband.
o Main Cast: Baek Sung Hyun, Bae Nu Ri, Choi Yoon Ra, Jung Su Hwan
o Trailer:
Roommates of Poongduck 304 – 8 episodes
o Release Date: October 13th
o Synopsis: An LGBTQ romance between a chaebol team leader and a subordinate.
o Main Cast: Kim Ji-woong, Yoon Seo-bin, Kang Woo-jung, Holland
o Trailer:
