Stagione 1
[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Green Mothers’ Club (2022, JTBC) and its radical feminism by displaying female sexuality in the context of motherhood but critiques the show’s shortcomings in its harsh portrayal of drug addicts and adoptees. Grace’s guest is LA-based actress and comedian Lizz Adams (@lizzparty on Instagram) who’s appeared on Dead to Me and many other shows. They discuss motherhood, sociology, being a Midwestern Korean American, sex on TV, beauty, “uh-mo” K-dramas, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Lee Joon-ki, Ro-woon, pregnancy and transformation after motherhood. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show When the Camellia Blooms (2019, KBS). She discusses her adoration for Gong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul and Kim Kang-hoon and their performance. She is impressed by Im Sang-choon’s writing and his feminist sensibility as a writer. She also discusses the unfortunate stigma that single Korean mothers face. She also discusses the history of sex work being tied to bar culture in Korea that predates modern times. Grace’s guest is a LA-based actress and improv comedian Marisa Llamas (@dapplegreen on Instagram). Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Oh My Ghostess (2015, tvN). Grace’s guest is a SoCal-based comedian Suwon Weaver (@suwonweaver on Instagram). They talk about exercising to bring down the post-stage adrenaline, lying down on the floor, wooden Korean pillows, how dogs reset one another’s mental disturbances, unlearning learned behaviors and traumas, how change takes choice and a willingness, that reactions are not just external but also internal, the love and beauty of bombing, and how positivity does not have to be fake and just start with a small bit of gratitude. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] No monologue in this episode. Sorry. Grace is busy with rehearsals for an acting gig. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Kazu Kusano (@kazu_kus on Instagram). They discuss Kazu’s comedy beginnings in Japan, training in SF, and her one woman show which she recorded in Canada. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] No monologue is necessary in this episode. Grace’s guest is SoCal comedian/hardcore K-drama fan and discussant Walter Hong (@yellowsheki on Instagram). Grace and Walter have a deep discussion recapping Twenty-Five Twenty-One and Thirty-Nine. They also share some excitement over the latest new dramas by Noh Hee-kyung and Park Hae-young like Our Blues and My Liberation Notes. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] Sorry—no monologue in this episode. Lovers in Paris (2004, SBS) is a drama written by writer Kim Eun-sook who wrote many influential shows such as Secret Garden, Descendants of the Sun, and Goblin: The Lonely and Great God. Lovers in Paris is arguably the show that became Kim’s career shifter. It stars Kim Jung-eun, Park Shin-yang and Lee Dong-gun. It is set in both Paris and Seoul. Grace’s guest is Los Angeles-based comedian Joe Mezeraani (@joemezeraani on Instagram). They talk about salsa, obscure online videos, comedy in San Francisco, straightening one’s back, and younger siblings. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Fashion King (2012, SBS) starring Yoo Ah-in, Shin Se-kyung, Lee Je-hoon and Kwon Yuri of Girls’ Generation written by the same creators of What Happened in Bali. Grace compares how Fashion King treats domestic products to how Now, We Are Breaking Up which explores the fashion industry in a very different way. Grace critiques Fashion King’s extremely passive female protagonist. Grace’s guest is Los Angeles-based comedian Zach Stein (@hack_stein on Instagram). They talk about auditioning for a commercial directed by an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, studying law, performing stand-up in Michigan, managing a hair salon in Santa Monica, working as a private eye, love for comedy, managing nerves, hiking in a snowy mountain for four days and spotting a wolf. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022, Netflix) starring Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, and WJSN’s Bona written by Kwon Do-eun—the creator of Search WWW. Grace analyzes Twenty-Five Twenty-One as a queer feminist text that celebrates lesbian kinship coded as female friendships. Grace declares Kwon Do-eun as a queer feminist showrunner/auteur, and admires the writer’s choice to focus on female fencing athletes. Grace is a big fan of the fencers’ victory screams. Grace’s guest is Los Angeles-based actress, writer and comedian Sophia Zolan (@sophiazolan Instagram). They discuss creative control, their dreams, how to date without dating apps, horoscopes, Tina Fey and Judd Apatow as career goals, how Hollywood makes TV shows and movies driven by anxiety and stress, getting a Greek citizenship and living in Europe. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Thirty-Nine (2022, Netflix) starring Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do and Kim Ji-hyun. Grace’s guest is Los Angeles-based comedian Neeraj Srinivasan (@mynipsdontlieon Instagram). They discuss being on the road, their love for stand-up, trial and error, being self-taught in animation, and overcoming fears when pursuing something new in life. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show The Silent Sea (2021, Netflix) starring Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon, and Kang Mal-geum. Grace discusses the multiple intertexts that The Silent Sea has of canonical films like Contagion, Armageddon, Train to Busan, Blade Runner, Tarzan and more. Grace believes Netflix’s demands forcing Korean filmmakers to turn their scripts into TV shows is hurting the quality of the content. Grace also wonders aloud if she should continue the podcast on a free platform anymore and is considering transferring it onto Patreon. What do you all think? She’s open to your feedback. Grace’s guest is Cincinnati-based comedian Blake Hammond (@bigradmachine on Instagram). They discuss taping his latest special, being a working comic based in Ohio, the upside of TikTok stars at comedy clubs, their disdain for small talk, nightmares, and self-destructive habits. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.