PODCAST

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes

40somethingahjumma

Reflections on Asian Dramas 40somethingahjumma.substack.com

All Episodes

21:32

Drama Watch 31 January 2023: Meet Yourself (2023) and...

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2023/02/04

In this third and final segment of my monthly conversation with absoluteM we yak a bit about the mainland Chinese hit Meet Yourself, critiquing the horror fantasy Island and what else we’re looking forward to coming down the pike. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 40somethingahjumma.substack.com

21:49

Drama Watch 31 January 2023: Strangers Again (2023)

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2023/02/02

absoluteM gives her perspective on this apparently controversial new K drama starring Kang So-ra and Jang Seung-jo about a divorced couple who are lawyers specializing in divorce. I chime in to give my two cents on this compelling drama and pontificate more broadly about marriage. We also speculate briefly about Jang Seung-jo’s script choices.Post-scriptAs mentioned, I had only partially seen Episode 3 at the time of the recording. Since then I have caught up with all the available episodes (up to

32:44

Drama Watch 31 January 2023: Crash Course in Romance...

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2023/02/01

In this half hour segment of a three-part episode, absoluteM and I discuss Jang Kyung-ho and Jeon Do-yeon’s latest tv outing, Crash Course in Romance. We go into the weeds of Episodes 1-6 and delve into after-school tutoring, education, helicopter parenting and a smidge about the romance.Further Comments on Episodes 5 and 6The death of the seventh student in the All-Care programme casts a shadow over events in these episodes. Choi Chi-yeol is visibly shaken as are the other students. Everyone thinks

10:20

Drama Watch 28 December 2022 Part 3 What we're...

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/12/31

This is the third part of a conversation I had with absoluteM about what’s on offer from K dramaland down the track.We talk about * Trolley * Crash Course in Romance* Can We Be Strangers?* Flight to You* Tan Songyun and her leading men* Road Home* Big Bet* The Glory* Chernobyl (2019) — excellent US mini-series This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 40somethingahjumma.substack.com

25:32

Drama Watch 28 December 2022 Part 2: Our Top 10 for 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/12/30

In this second part of the podcast we recorded on the 28 December 2022, we both shared our personal favourites for the year.Addendum: It occurred to me afterwards that I had forgotten to mention Ordinary Greatness which was actually one of my favourites for the year. I rate it more highly than most K dramas to be frank. Not sure why I left it out of my list. Talk about being hyperreal. A terrific slice-of-life show with a great cast and deeply moving arcs.What were your Top 10 dramas for 2020? This

20:36

Drama Watch 28 December 2022: Part 1 Reborn Rich

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/12/29

*Spoilers galore*This podcast is the first of three parts that absoluteM and I recorded yesterday. In this portion we have a chin wag about Reborn Rich and that ending. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced I am that the ending was plainly disingenuous. If the writer had the courage of her convictions she would have made the switch in narrative direction a lot sooner. I do think ratings played into this to a large degree. Perhaps the showrunners did anticipate the blowback which is why

52:35

Drama Watch 29 November 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/11/30

In this episode we natter about:0:39 absoluteM talks about what she’s watching — Reborn Rich, Under the Queen’s Umbrella, Curtain Call, The First Responders2:03 Me on Reborn Rich, The First Responders3:15 absoluteM jumps in to talk about The First Responders3:40 We go off tangent and critique Blind. *Spoilers alert*4:48 The King of Pigs6:55 Shadow Detective plug from me7:56 Too many dramas and consequences8:55 Unpolished/unfinished scripts10:03 Back to

58:06

Drama Watch 28 October 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/10/29

0:28 Warning: A twenty minute rant about Little Women and the disappointing last couple of episodes. What we liked and what we didn’t. *Spoilers Galore*21:05 Segue to May it Please the Court. A better 12-episode drama in our opinion 29:50 One Dollar Lawyer. We also talk about The Veil and its spin-offs.39:22 Blind and all its absurdities49:04 Me talking about Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty53:03 Mr Bad — a pleasant tropey fantasy rom comHope you enjoy it! This is a public

45:50

Drama Watch 30 September 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/10/02

In this podcast, recorded on 30 September, we chat about the following dramas:0:30 The Good Detective 28:35 Chasing the Undercurrent10:01 Little Women (contains minor spoilers and speculations for the show up to 8)29:29 Heartless City31:26 Legal dramas — We compare notes on One Dollar Lawyer and May It Please the Court36:12 absoluteM recommends Blind, the police procedural starring Oh Taecyeon and Ha Seok-jin from tvN/OCN39:00 absoluteM brings up Once Upon a Small Town, a sweet little

63:36

Drama Watch 31 August 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/09/02

Recorded on 31 August 2022.In this episode absoluteM and I chatted about:* The final act of Love Like the Galaxy and the leads 0:53* Zhou Yitong — Wu Lei’s co-star in his next project — sports themed romance* The strengths and flaws of Extraordinary Attorney Woo 22:23* The Good Detective 2 : Some spoilers for existing episodes 44:04 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 40somethingahjumma.substack.com

50:12

Drama Watch 2 August 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/08/04

Recorded on the 2 Aug 2022In this podcast episode, absoluteM and I have a good yak mainly about Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Love Like the Galaxy giving special attention to the romance in each.0:43 absoluteM talks about Big Mouth a new drama starring Lee Jong-seok2:50 I mention Insider in passing (Far too many dramas!)3:33 The Good Detective 2, Jang Seung-jo and references to the first season9:05 Cafe Minamdang12:04 Extraordinary Attorney Woo — Spoilers alert. Big one straight up. 25:01 Love

60:25

Drama Watch 19 July 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/07/20

In this episode absoluteM and I go deep into (and gush about) the two latest big things from Mainland China and South Korea. I mention Cafe Minamdang briefly at the start before launching into Extraordinary Attorney Woo first and then Love Like the Galaxy.6:36 Start of conversation about underdog legal drama Extraordinary Attorney WooWe discuss our views of the characters, plot and romance. We also consider what others are saying about the drama.There be spoilers…31:23 Start of conversation about

56:31

Drama Watch 23 June 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/06/24

Recorded on 23 June 2022.In this long episode, we chat about…* Top Gun: Maverick (Yes, you read it right. I went. I saw and I loved it)* Stuff that absoluteM is watching — Ordinary Greatness, Doctor Lawyer, Jinxed At First* Stuff that I’m watching like A Dream of Splendor and a trashy C drama rom com that shall remain unnamed here.* We geek out over Ordinary Greatness and Bloody/Red Heart. Beware of big spoilers for Red Heart.Thanks for listening and hope that you enjoy the conversation. This is a

42:24

Drama Watch: My Liberation Notes and other dramas

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/06/03

In this episode, absoluteM and I discuss what we’re currently watching with a special focus on My Liberation Notes which completed its run last weekend.We talk briefly about:* Tomorrow* Day Breaker* Ordinary Greatness* My Super Herobefore going into more depth about My Liberation Notes. This episode was recorded on the 31 May 2022. Apologies for the background noise. I don’t think this was our best connection over Discord.Beware of spoilers for My Liberation Notes This is a public episode. If you

28:35

Drama Watch: My Liberation Notes and Red Heart (2022)

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/05/18

This is the second segment of a longer conversation between absoluteM and I recorded on 16 May 2022.In it we discuss: * what we like about My Liberation Notes* the plot points and themes in My Liberation Notes up to Episode 11* spoilers about Gu’s identity* performances of Lee Min-gi and Son Suk-ku* the romances* first impressions and key aspects of Red/Bloody Heart starring Lee Joon, Jang Hyuk and Kang Ha-naEnjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers

26:08

Drama Watch: Master of My Own (2022)

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/05/17

In this podcast episode, absoluteM and I discuss the currently airing C drama Master of My Own which has become something of a hit on home turf.We discuss the genre, plot, themes, characters and setting.This episode was recorded on the 16/05/2022. It is the first segment of a much longer conversation that includes My Liberation Notes and Red Heart which will be posted tomorrow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

30:21

Drama Watch 05/05/2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/05/04

This podcast was recorded on 4 May 2022. In it absoluteM and I discuss the some of the latest K and C dramas available on Netflix and other streaming platforms.We talk about…* Tomorrow* Who Rules the World* My Sassy Princess* Master of My Own and Lin Gengxin’s script choices* Our Blues* My Liberation Notes and Son Suk-ku* KBS weekend family drama It’s Beautiful Now* Bloody Heart starring Lee Joon, Jang Hyuk and Kang Ha-na* Subtitling issues* The volume of dramas and having too many options* Under

29:30

Podcast: The Autumn Ballad -- Final Review

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/03/10

This conversation between absoluteM and I was recorded on 9 March 2022 after the airing of The Autumn Ballad starring Jeremy Xu Zhengxi and Qiao Xin. In this dialogue, we discuss what we liked about the drama, why we loathed the ending and speculate over the woeful record of C drama endings. We also rate the drama out of ten. All in that order.Warning: This podcast episode contains important spoilers of the final act of the drama. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with

23:17

Podcast: Romance - what's good and what's not

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/03/05

This is the second part of a two-part conversation with absoluteM, a moderator from Janghaven Forums recorded on the 2 March 2022 about the latest K and C dramas we’ve recently completed and are currently airing.In this segment we talk about what we think makes a good romance and what’s a turn off. We refer to some recent dramas as examples. We also talk about differences in C and K dramas. I give a quick review of Royal Feast.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with

23:39

Podcast: What we've been watching... March 2022

The Urban Lily Talks Tropes ·

2022/03/04

This is the first of a two-part conversation I had with absoluteM recorded on Wednesday 2 March 2022. In this back and forth we do a quick run through of dramas that we’re watching currently. From there we move to an extended conversation of:* Reset* The Autumn Ballad* A Business Proposal This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 40somethingahjumma.substack.com

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