Drop it like it's hot!

by shountz, November 25, 2015

It’s there - you know right below your "on-hold" list - the dramas whose names must not be mentioned. That’s right our DROP LIST *gasp* *clutches pearls*. No, No, No, dear, all dramas once started may be put on hold but, they MUST BE COMPLETED! Yeah, that’s what I used to think until I joined MDL and saw that they had a list JUST for dropping dramas and as they say…the rest is history.

Some of us feel like we have to finish the story once we start. We are drama addicts and this is our creed. Only it’s not. There are just some flaws, stories, or characters that drive you to commit the ultimate drama sin (which isn’t really a sin in the first place) and drop that thing like a hot potato.

I hope you guys get my random Snoop Dogg song reference

I confess, that I’ve dropped a few dramas that have been really popular, but I just couldn’t stomach the angst and noble idiocy when the story was barely holding my attention. Case in point: Flower Boy Ramen Shop (I know some people are rolling their eyes at me as they read this).

The story started out pleasant enough. I was really falling hard for Lee Ki Woo and his chocolate abs, but then there was the hint at some sort of birth secret. Okay I thought I could handle that twist. I had to put the series on hold for about a day BUT I ignored my feelings and went right back. After reading and hearing about all those kiss scenes, I convinced myself that it would be worth it. Right?? But after a few minutes into the next episode I. WAS. DONE.

I don’t even remember the episode, but I just closed the tab on the browser and breathed a sigh of relief. I think that was actually the first drama I dropped and it was liberating.

Now I’m not calling the drama terrible (I have personally re-watched the K-drama Playful Kiss twice so I judge no one), but there are some tropes and plot lines that I just can’t bear. Maybe I was suffering from a slight case of drama burnout hence my lack of patience but I dropped some shows in a flash.

Since then I’ve realized a trend with my dropping habits. Here are a few of my drama “plot peeves” that almost always guarantee that I will drop the drama.

See Kang Hyuk is not impressed

Birth Secrets - Unless the secret is only a secret to the characters and we’re clued in very early, I’m not here for it. Hence I am not a big fan of the makjang genre. I scream and throw things. I just find it very stressful.

Fauxcest/ Incest -NOPE. Just NOPE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. EVER.

Terminal illnesses - I don’t like sad endings so sue me. It was the primary reason I didn’t finish Scent of a Woman. I was so happy, but I knew what was coming. I just couldn’t deal and gave up early.

Ridiculously cruel, spoiled or irritating male leads -*sigh* So many to choose from, so little time. I really disliked the drama Boys Over Flowers (sorry to all the BOF fans out there) , but it was such a crazy ride - I kept watching. If I were to watch that drama now I would have dropped it early on instead of suffering to the bitter end.

Ridiculously cruel, spoiled or irritating female leads - Take Care of the Young Lady. I tried, really I did. But, after episode 4 I realized I was trying WAYYYY too hard. I love Yoon Eun Hye but that drama was BLEH .

Violence, rape and other crimes against women/children -OK. If any of these are depicted off screen I can deal (a little) - especially if the show is trying to show the female character’s strength in spite of her circumstances. But, once it's shown or glossed over like a thing that just happened and no one seems to care, that drama is getting dropped, QUICK. I know (especially in Korea) it’s a pervasive issue affecting the society, but I don’t want to fill my free time with that, so that’s a NO NO for me.

Annoying sidekicks that aren’t funny - Need I say more?? They don't really serve any other purpose beside providing comic relief... which they fail to do. Then they just becoming annoying people that follow our protagonist around.

Plots that make no sense-*AHEM AHEM*. Ridiculous or disorganized plot lines are probably THE MAIN reason I drop dramas. Whether it's parents arranging marriages for their grown children under dubious circumstances (I’m looking at you DRAMA , you know who you are!) or mysteries that just can’t be solved and really have no place in the plot in the first place. (Example: I made it all the way to episode 15 but then gave up and never looked back: My Secret Hotel)

So what about you? What are your deal breakers when it comes to dramas? Which shows have you dropped despite their popularity? What will, without a doubt, have you dropping a drama after episode1?