《Taeyuna’s Listening Bodbo》
‘Season of the Kokdu’ humiliated by last place in viewership ratings
Kim Jung-hyun's return work is colorless, the plot is disjointed and the character is less immersive.
‘Season of the Kokdu’ humiliated by last place in viewership ratings
Kim Jung-hyun's return work is colorless, the plot is disjointed and the character is less immersive.
《Taeyuna’s Listening Bodbo》
Reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will properly cover all aspects of the drama based on what she heard and saw on the spot. We will be the eyes and ears of readers in an era where dramas are flooding in on numerous channels.
Yoo Jae-seok's surprise appearance also did not receive attention. Kim Jung-hyun, who returned to MBC after 5 years, experienced the humiliation of recording last place in viewership ratings in the same time slot following 'Time'. Kim Jung-hyun's filmography, which was on a roll with 'Crash Landing on You' and 'Queen Iron Man', has been put on hold.
Even before it was broadcast, 'Season of the Kokdu' attracted attention as actor Kim Jeong-hyun's comeback work. This is also a drama that Kim Jung-hyun, who spent two years in self-reflection after the controversy over his private life with his ex-girlfriend Seo Ye-ji, took on the drama with a grateful heart toward MBC, which reached out to him first.
If you just look at the content, it's an obvious romantic fantasy. The story is about the story of Gokdu, the god of death, who comes down to this world every 99 years to inflict heavenly punishment on humans, and meets Han Do-jeol, a doctor with mysterious powers.
Although it appears to be similar to dramas such as 'One Day Destruction Came to the Front Door of Our House', director Baek Soo-chan described 'Season of the Kokdu' as "a fairy tale for adults."
In particular, 'Season of the Kokdu' was broadcast on the entertainment show 'What Do You Do When You Play?' even before it was broadcast. As part of the project, Yoo Jae-seok and Jeong Jun-ha also appeared in minor roles. Those who appeared as employees of a traditional red pepper paste master's house skillfully polished the saucepan, and Yoo Jae-seok even spoke a line calling the master directly.
However, even these surprise appearances could not stop the downward trend of ‘Season of Kokdu’. 'Season of the Kokdu', which started with 4.8% in the first episode, fell by half to 2.2% in just two episodes, and the third and fourth episodes also failed to rebound, recording 3.1% and 2.4%, respectively. This has the effect of competing works such as 'Agency', 'The Law', 'Red Balloon', and 'A Scandal' sharing the 7-8% viewer ratings, but the biggest problem is that the work itself is not attractive.
'Season of the Kokdu' is about a tragic love story that crosses the past and the present, but only the comical elements are emphasized too much. The characters of Oksin (played by Kim In-kwon) and Gaksin (played by Cha Jeong-hwa), who serve the puppet master, are only used as a device for a B-grade comedy with no identity. In addition, the setting where he cannot move on the words of Hangye-jeol (played by Lim Soo-hyang) despite being the god of the underworld, reduces the charm of the male protagonist character.
The story development is also full of Jung-gu heating itself, including Do Jin-woo, who dies while investigating a medical accident, Gkokdu who pursues Han Hane-jeol by proposing a 90-day contract relationship, and Han Hane-jeol, who suddenly launches a loan project to support start-up funds. The story is shaky without any backbone and even the acting of the actors is varied, so the romance between Kim Jung-hyun and Im Soo-hyang is not clearly visible.
'Season of the Kokdu' started off loud due to the controversy over Kim Jung-hyun's private life, but as the series progressed, it proved to be nothing but a noisy empty cart. It doesn't seem easy for 'Season of the Kokdu' to bounce back, as it is receiving the worst report card of a 2% viewership rating in the weekend prime time slot.
Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr