Welcome to another edition of 'allkpop TV Guide and Ratings', an exclusive feature that spotlights popular Korean dramas. It will discuss ratings for each week's episodes, as well as provide brief recaps (with spoilers, so watch out!) of shows that we know allkpop readers are enjoying.

We've got the three regular shows being recapped for this week — 'The Moon that Embraces the Sun' (starring Kim Soo Hyun, Han Ga In, Jung Il Woo), 'Wild Romance' (Lee Si Young, Lee Dong Wook, Girls' Generation's Jessica), and  'Shut Up Flower Boy Band' (INFINITE's L, Sung Joon, and Two Months' Yerim).

[Note: 'Shut Up Flower Boy Band' will not be included in the ratings recap as it is a cable drama and has different ratings standards.]

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Although KBS's 'Dream High 2' suffered a low drop to 7.2% with its third episode, it was able to rebound with a 1% increase for its fourth episode thanks to heightened conflicts and complicated love lines. (The tension between T-ara's Jiyeon and Kang Sora is starting to look especially interesting!)

That said, many viewers and reporters are shaking their heads over the disappointing results. A lot of the blame is being put on the lack of character development and its disorganized plot. Additionally, the show experienced a hiccup during its broadcast as the third episode had audio and visual problems.

Let's hope 'Dream High 2' will get its act together with next week's episodes and rake in higher ratings.



As for the other Monday-Tuesday series, MBC's 'Lights and Shadows' was the clear winner this week by setting a personal best with 19.3%. This may be due to a cameo made by Brown Eyed Girls' Narsha, but it could also be that 'Light and Shadow' is finally starting to be recognized for its fun plot and decent acting.

'Lights and Shadows' will undoubtedly break the 20% rating soon, but SBS's 'History of a Salaryman' isn't too far behind, as its been building a strong fan base of its own. This week, it achieved a high rating of 15.1%, a definite improvement from its previous records.



In the Wednesday-Thursday roster, 'The Moon Embraces the Sun' has done the unexpected and reached a plateau. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the ratings didn't break through to the 'national drama rating' of 40% -- instead, it levelled off at 37.1%. The stagnant rating seems to lie in the viewers' increasing frustration with Wol (Han Ga In)'s helplessness and her inability to recognize that her 'visions' are really her memories.

The remaining two dramas in this prime-time lineup, SBS's 'Take Care of Us, Captain' and KBS's 'Wild Romance', is still faring very poorly. The ratings for 'Take Care of Us, Captain' dropped even lower to 6.5%, making it unlikely that it would wrap up to a decent double digits figure.

As for 'Wild Romance', it saw some relief from last week's poor ratings, but is still scraping by 5.1%. As the two dramas are near their end, SBS and KBS can only hope to turn the tables once 'The Moon Embraces the Sun' ends its broadcast. That is, if MBC decides to end the series as planned and not extend the episodes.

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[ Spoiler warning below!!! ]

 

 

 

 

 

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? Shut Up Flower Boy Band (tvN)



 

 

 

Official Synopsis: 'Shut Up Flower Boy Band' is centered around a high school band known as "Eye Candy", whose members are comprised of delinquents who face varying personal problems. The drama depicts their friendships, love, and youthful passion — all tied together by the unifying force, music.

Recap of Ep. 3-4: Byung Hee (Lee Min Ki) gets killed in a traffic accident, and the band members are struggling to cope with his death. Unbeknownst to them, Byung Hee left a final present for the boys by signing up Eye Candy for a national high school band competition, which is sponsored by a big name label. It now becomes imperative that the members stay in school to participate in the competition and fulfill Byung Hee's last wish.

In the midst of all this, the boys are suspicious of Seung Hoon (Jung Ui Chul) and Pyo Joo (Kim Hyun Joon)'s involvement in Byung Hee's death. The tension escalates until the boys confront each other (with fists, of course) in an alley, leaving Pyo Joo in a battered state that requires hospitalization.

The boys face immediate expulsion not only from their continued truancy, but also due to the police questioning about Pyo Joo's assault case. Left with no other option, Ji Hyuk (Sung Joon) gets down on his knees and begs Seung Hoon for help.

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Seung Hoon takes Ji Hyuk outside and asks why it's so important that they go to school here. Ji Hyuk gives a noncommittal answer, and Seung Hoon says that they need to talk to Pyo Joo, not him. Ji Hyuk, however, insists that as the group leader, Seung Hoon should set things right, especially about coming clean on Pyo Joo's involvement in Byung Hee's death.

Ji Hyuk and his 'muse' Soo Ah (Jo Boa) get closer after he offers her shelter from some thugs waiting outside her home. They share a pot of ramyun and she ends up staying the night; Ji Hyuk gave her his mattress while he slept on the floor, and Soo Ah returns the favor by making him comfortable before she leaves.

Meanwhile, the principal is doing all he can to expel the boys of Eye Candy with a demerit system. If they rack up enough points, they'll get expelled. There's nothing the boys can do so they hang on as best they can.

Ji Hyuk is discovered to be a vocal guide, singing and recording songs for other artists. Seung Hoon's sister, who owns an agency, comes across Ji Hyuk and is intrigued by his talent.

A love triangle in this drama is starting to emerge between Ji Hyuk, Soo Ah, and Seung Hoon. Seung Hoon follows Soo Ah one day and learns that she took on a restaurant job (she still hasn't told anyone her father went bankrupt) -- he also finds out that Ji Hyuk and his crush are chums. He starts taking more aggressive steps to show Soo Ah his affection, even giving her a kiss on the forehead. Ji Hyuk follows suit, waiting with ramyun and snacks for her at a bus stop.

Soo Ah's cover is blown at school when news breaks out that her father is bankrupt and he's being prosecuted. Ji Hyuk, who was just about to engage in the epic band battle between Eye Candy and Seung Hoon's Strawberry Fields, decides to book it in order to pull Soo Ah out from the crowd...

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? The Moon that Embraces the Sun (MBC)



 

 

 

Official Synopsis: 'The Moon That Embraces The Sun' tells of the strong love between 'King Lee Hwon' (Kim Soo Hyun) and a female shaman named 'Wol' (Han Ga In). Wol was born from a noble family and was slated to become Hwon's queen, but a nasty game of politics resulted in her 'death'. She is rescued but without her memories as a court lady, and so she's brought up to be a shaman. Years later, King Lee Hwon and Wol meet again, but how will their love story unfold…?

Recap of Ep. 11-12: Hwon interrogates Wol after he matches her handwriting to a letter of Yeon Woo's from years past. Wol weakly rebuffs his questions, saying that she cannot answer them because she is not the person he is seeking. Wol then decides that she must leave the palace, as she can no longer aid the king.

Meanwhile, Hwon now believes that Yeon Woo's death was not natural and starts to investigate the court records for any hints of suspicious activity. His consort Bo Kyung carries suspicions of her own and is determined to see the face of Hwon's shaman amulet, thinking it might be the young princess who once stood in the way of her dreams.

Hwon and Wol end up having a small marketplace date (incognito, of course), and Hwon confesses his feelings about Yeon Woo to Wol. Prince Yang Myung finds them smiling at each other, which increases his frustration since he's falling for Hwon as well.

The palace is busy with preparations for the royal consummation night, and Bo Kyung is determined to get rid of her rival, one way or another. She traps Hwon in a difficult decision -- either he spends the night with her as expected, or he gets rid of Wol once and for all, as she's clearly not doing her job as a shaman if he can't perform.

Hwon decides to come to Bo Kyung's chamber, and Yang Myung tries to convince Wol to run away with him...

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? Wild Romance (KBS)



 

 

 

Official Synopsis: Because of an unforeseen situation, Eun Jae (Lee Si Young) is appointed as baseball star Moo Yul's (Lee Dong Wook) bodyguard. Although the two hate each other from the beginning, romance arises between the baseball star and his bodyguard, a former judo athlete.

Recap of Ep. 11-12: Eun Jae (Lee Si Young) is left to protect Jong Hee (Girls' Generation's Jessica) and becomes increasingly angry with Jong Hee's weak character and the pampering it requires. Jong Hee is discovered to have bipolar disorder, but she's trying to overcome it. She then asks Moo Yul if they could date, but her request is left unanswered as Eun Jae interrupts the conversation.

The culprit behind Moo Yul's attacks was revealed to be Moo Yul's housemaid. The housemaid starts to plan her next move against Moo Yul by going after Jong Hee. Using Soo Young's (Hwang Sun Hee) insecurity and inferiority complex about Jong Hee's success as an artist, the housemaid sends a photo of Jong Hee with her eyes poked out...

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[ End of spoilers]

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Stay tuned for more recaps on these popular dramas in next week's digest!