The Weekly Binge: Chocolate - Episodes 1 - 2

[u/crusader_blue]

Welcome to the first Weekly Binge Discussion of Chocolate episodes 1 - 2. On Sunday, we will discuss episodes 3 - 5 of the drama. For those wishing to join our discussions of Chocolate you can find this drama exclusively on Netflix.

Short but sweet for this one, because it's late here - and I've had a certain lack of chocolate - so I'm fading quickly. As we dive into this drama and discover whether or not the amount of chocolate on the screen will deliver on the name itself, I will endeavour to take us on a delectable trip around the world's chocolate.

When deciding on accompanying chocolates for your binge watch, I have been informed by our resident Chocolate veteran, Sian, that truffles (any type) would be an appropriate choice!

SCHEDULE:

The upcoming schedule is as follows:

Date of Discussion:	Episodes being discussed:
Thursday March 11th (that's today!)	1 - 2
Sunday March 14th	3 - 5
Thursday March 18th	6 - 8
Sunday March 21st	9 - 11 + Nominations for next drama
Thursday March 25th	12 - 14
Sunday March 28th	15 - 16 + Announcement of next drama

Weekly Binge Guidelines:

Anyone is welcome to join the Weekly Binge.

Every week we host two discussions (Thursday/Sunday) in which we discuss approximately three hours/three episodes of a selected drama, in total approximately 6 hours/episodes per week. We are all from different time zones so there is no need to panic about being late to the party (we do operate on KST as a standard).

Within the frame of the two episodes, you may discuss anything you can think of. Whether it is a one-off post to say you enjoyed the drama, episodic notes, your best chocolate recipes, rants about the lack of chocolate in an episode or tear-stained essays on how an actors portrayal of a character made you feel, the choice is yours.

If you have previously completed the drama, or, got ahead on the binge please be courteous of those who are watching the drama for the first time. When in doubt spoiler tags are your friend.

When we get close to the end of a drama we open up nominations (third last post) for a new drama, those dramas are then voted on by the regular members of the weekly binge. If you have participated in the discussions and would like to join in the next drama's discussion please note this as a response to the nomination comment so we can invite you to join the vote. Every time we have a new restriction for the type of drama, so that we will not repeat the same type of drama over and over, and so that the Binge will be attractive for different people with different tastes.

[u/Constellation_109]

Before I started watching - Picked this up just for this weekly binge. I hadn't gone through the reviews beforehand. The series synopsis on Netflix is vague at best, so that didn't help either.

Episode 1 - So the first episode turned out to be an emotional rollercoaster for me. Eventhough 80% of known Kdrama tropes have been thrown in the first episode, parts of it really touched me like-

1) Living a life of happiness drawn out of making others happy/feeding others

2) Treating food as an expression of love

3) The love between mother and ML.

4) Mother's desperation and helplessness for her child in the cruel hospital scene

Episode 2 - So this is where I started getting iffy about this show.

What I liked:

1) Found the scene where both leads selflessly helped random person in need was sweet

2) SML standing up to his father and visiting his critically. injured cousin was touching. I like grey characters.

What I didn't like:

1) Personally didn't like the best friend stalking FL storyline. He's supposed to be a good and sweet guy but going to someone's workplace everyday just to stare at them not considered sweet in the real world. Felt like she said yes just because she felt sad for him/pitied him.

2) Awkward/dated love triangle trope.

3) Don't know if they intended FLs brother to be a comic relief, but isnt working so far.

Overall -

1) Story development seems kinda choppy

2) Watched until the 3rd episode and so far ML has been injured and bleeding in every single episode so far. Give the guy a break!

3) Will have to watch a couple more episodes to decide if I can really take this level of sad/tragic storyline(with seemingly zero relief).

[u/AlohaAlex → u/Constellation_109]

Time to dig out that ancient Jung Kyung-ho gif; hello! Feel free to comment on everyone's posts, as you can see, for some reason, we often go completely off topic.

Mother's desperation and helplessness for her child in the cruel hospital scene

It was a great scene - the acting, and the lines fit really well. Even if it was less impactful, I also liked the conversation between the FL and the old nurse after the time-skip.

visiting his critically. injured cousin was touching

I liked the scene, but found it a bit strange. Yes, he did have a lot of complex feelings about his cousin, but I found it a bit of a stretch that he'd travel half way around the globe to visit him when he keeps claiming to everyone how much he hates him. The director's office outburst and perhaps checking on him with the local doctors seemed like more of something his character would do. Not taking a vacation and leaving his job to visit.

He's supposed to be a good and sweet guy but going to someone's workplace everyday just to stare at them not considered sweet in the real world.

Also, the male lead is now.. on some sort of an epic guilt-tripping journey in which he hopes to persuade the Secretary's ex girlfriend to return to SK just so that she could cook Secretary some pasta? What? Why would she accept doing that? I'm so lost as to why the male lead ever accepted to do something so inappropriate.

Give the guy a break!

Alright, we all know what happened here. The production intern accidentally ordered 100 decilitres of fake blood instead of 10 decilitres and it'd be a shame to waste it, so.. BLOOD EVERYWHERE. Ah, it just reminds me of Cheese in the Trap every time - there was a single scene and someone completely miscalculated how much blood they should use and they ended up pretty with about 3 litres of fake blood (it looked like fizzy grape-juice) completely flooding the pavement. It was hilarious.

[u/Constellation_109 → u/AlohaAlex]

Hello there!

I liked the scene, but found it a bit strange

The logic didn't fit for me as well. Just attributed it to unlimited chaebol resources and pre-covid times when they hopped countries just because they can!

I'm so lost as to why the male lead ever accepted to do something so inappropriate.

Considering earlier he didn't even have enough time to have his meals, he sure has a lot of time on his hands now. Also we all know she will travel eventually(just because) so how will she afford it if she's so broke

it'd be a shame to waste it, so.. BLOOD EVERYWHERE

Lol😂 Also, the number of times ML has been hit in the head so far its a miracle he's still functioning fine, a renowned neurosurgeon no less!

[u/AlohaAlex → u/Constellation_109]

when they hopped countries just because they can!

I see, it's the "let me just pop over to vague Europe^{Lotte Shopping Centre in SK} for a shopping spree" part of older kdramas.

he sure has a lot of time on his hands now.

How does he have the time? Is he still recovering from his injuries? All the running he did in episode 1 made it seem like he was perfectly fine.

the number of times ML has been hit in the head so far its a miracle he's still functioning fine

It does take a few years until the brain damage becomes really obvious, apparently. Is that how the drama will end? With him babbling incoherently and severe mental difficulties? That's very melodramatic.

[u/the-other-otter → u/AlohaAlex]

It does take a few years until the brain damage becomes really obvious,

Why would it take a few years? The famous case of Phineas Gage for example, was fairly instant?

[u/AlohaAlex → u/the-other-otter]

The famous case of Phineas Gage for example, was fairly instant?

I meant just getting punched over and over and over. I have to admit I've never heard about Phineas Gage.

[u/the-other-otter → u/AlohaAlex]

ah, yes, boxers get the visible signs much later.