Grace recommends that listeners donate to Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP) ( https://wrrap.org/) to help women of low-income get abortion help. [Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Our Blues (2022, tvN). She analyzes writer Noh Hee-kyoung’s pattern of including disabilities in all her shows, the casting of differently-abled actors, and how to work towards progress by making peace with whatever causes us to feel defensive or be overreactive in the face of injustice. Grac...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 78
[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show My Liberation Notes (2022, JTBC) and what a spiritual experience this show has been for her, and Grace thanks her fans who wrote to her in response to her request last week. Grace’s returning guest is NY-based actress, filmmaker, web series creator and clown Hye Yun Park (@hyeyunboss on Instagram). They discuss clowning, the art of accepting compliments, Grace’s crush on actor Son Sukku and plans to cast him in her feature film, mental health in Korea, sp...
Jun 20, 2022•2 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 77
[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Matrimonial Chaos (2018, KBS), and the significance of actors Cha Tae-hyun, Bae Doona, Lee El and Son Seok-gu. Grace also does a deep-dive of the prodigal veteran actress Moon Sook and why her role as the grandmother in Matrimonial Chaos is so meaningful. Grace’s guest is LA-based actress, improv comic, artist and clown Natasha Mercado (@champagnetashi on Instagram). They discuss how Natasha came to the character Tree, childhood pretend-play, processing f...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 76
[Spoiler Alert] Grace apologizes for the delayed episode. She’s in New York for film festival events and a film shoot. Things just got to be too much. Today’s show is Extracurricular (2020, Netflix). Sorry, but no monologue. She’ll make up for it next week. Grace’s guest is Chicago-based comedian Derek Strong (@epiccheatdaypodcast on Instagram). They discuss addiction, food, vice, comedy, Los Angeles, and being former New Yorkers. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdra...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 75
[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, Scarle...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 74
[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 comedia...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 73
[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 po...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 72
[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.
May 09, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 71
[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....
May 02, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 70
[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...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 69
[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 comedia...
Apr 18, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 68
[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 th...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 67
[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....
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 66
[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 con...
Mar 28, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 65
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Now, We Are Breaking Up (2021, SBS) starring Song Hye-kyo and Jang Ki-yong. Grace examines this show’s modernist take on female sexuality which conflicts awkwardly with the reality of romantic/sexual expectations and politics. Grace analyzes how this show does not overly fetishize white countries as much as some of the earlier K-dramas by placing Korea’s domestic pride at the forefront. Grace also notices that the buildi...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 64
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Dinner Mate (2020, MBC) starring Song Seung-hun and Seo Ji-hye. Grace wonders if Seo Ji-hye has the qualities of a lead actress and debates what sets apart a lead from a supporting actor using the metaphor of power divas versus pop singers. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian, actor and filmmaker Tatenda Mbduzi (@tatendambudzion Instagram). They discuss their favorite super heroes, why Batman is better than Superman, meet...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 63
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Truth (2000, MBC) starring Choi Ji-woo, Ryu Si-won and Park Sun-young. Grace sees the show from a new perspective with greater empathy for the villain’s character whose qualities are spoken for by her abusive father and fiancée. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Kevin Chu (@kevichu on Instagram). They discuss overcompensation, the art of slurping noodles, dating profiles, Chinese school, and Asian community disciplinari...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 62
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Producers (2015, KBS), and the K-drama-hits-churning writer Park Ji-eun ( My Love From the Star, Legend of the Blue Sea, and Crash Landing on You ) whose writing career includes sit-coms, variety shows and talk radio before dramas. Grace gets into how Producers is self-reflexive in its critique of the music industry’s treatment of K-pop stars and its intense work hours behind the scenes of a variety show. Grace’s guest i...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 61
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Misaeng (2014, tvN), and how it exhibits a poor man’s vision of capitalism, and how Yoon Tae-ho struggled in his early years as an artist. This was recorded on Grace’s birthday, and she talks about how she feels being in her mid-thirties, reflecting on her past and present, and how she feels about herself today. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Olivia Hill (@freesampleolivia on Instagram). They discuss comedy and COVID...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 60
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Winter Sonata (2002, KBS) and how it catapulted Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo into hallyu fame. Grace wonders how it was possible for Bae Yong-joon to retire from acting. Is there such a thing as retiring from art? Is that possible? Where does the love for that art form go when one retires their career? Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Willie Simon (@williesimon_ on Instagram). They discuss growing up in Maui, college ...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 59
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Our Beloved Summer (SBS, 2021-2022). Grace talks about Kim Dami and Choi Woo-shik’s acting careers, their awkward romantic chemistry on the small screen, and how K-dramas today are exhibiting “first” world problems as opposed to more developing-nation problems seen in dramas from 20+ years ago. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Mike Rose (@themikerose on Instagram), and their discussion is a deep textual analysis of Sea...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 58
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show The Lady in Dignity (JTBC, 2017), which as of January 2022, is in the top 20 highest viewed cable K-drama series of all time. Grace talks about Kim Hee-sun’s second wave in her post-marriage/child birth acting career, Kim Sun-a as the anti-heroine and how K-dramas need to make more anti-heroine shows without killing them off or punishing them. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian David Ayala (@davidayalasok on Instagram). ...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 57
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show When a Man Loves (MBC, 2013) and the show writer Kim In-young’s zany, bold and risk-taking choices in her career. Grace also admires Song Seung-hun’s radical choices as an actor to play bizarre, complicated, and camp characters on TV and film. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian JP Puthenveetil (@jpputhenveetil on Instagram). They discuss comedy writing, working for the Disney Channel, how production companies and network...
Jan 24, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 56
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Hospital Playlist (tvN, 2020-2021) and the writer Lee Woo-jung’s career as a variety show writer into a K-drama writer, and how hospital dramas tend to write themselves because death and disease always keep the episodes’ stakes high. Grace’s guest is France-based Romanian comedian Magda Mihaila (@magdulicious on Instagram). They discuss being born into communist Romania to elderly parents in the countryside, being raised...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 55
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show That Winter, The Wind Blows (SBS, 2013) and how it brings some insight into what it is like to live a differently-abled life. Grace also discusses the importance of a good reset while she vacations for a week in Carmel, California. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian Nick Borsellino (@nickwithnothingbetter2do on Instagram). They discuss siblings, rollercoasters, comedy, and collecting semen for the sole purpose of getting...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 54
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Hellbound (Netflix, 2021) by Yeon Sang-ho—the director of Train to Busan . Grace analyzes Hellbound as being allegoric of social media cancel culture and the spread of panic, blame and paranoia. She links Hellbound ’s plot points to 18th century Christian revivalist tactics that emphasized guilt (sin) and the threat of hell to induce moral panic and keep societies under top-down control. Grace’s returning guest is Berlin...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 53
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show The King’s Affection (KBS, 2021) and its trans gender queerness, incisive critique of patriarchal greed, as well as Park Eun-bin’s robust acting career which dates as far back as 1998, Rowoon’s impressive acting chops, and more. Grace’s guest is comedian Liam McEneaney (@radioliam on Instagram and @HeyItsLiam on Twitter). They discuss New York in the 90s, Mars Bar, Taylor Mead, Bikini Kill, Jim Jarmusch, Sara Driver, Ste...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 56 min•Season 1Ep. 52
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show I’m Sorry, I Love You (KBS, 2004). Grace’s guest is Orange County-based comedian Viet Nguyen (@vietspeekenglizh on Instagram). They talk about District 12 in Vietnam, comedy, writing fiction, and the rules of improv. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 51
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Because This Is My First Life (tvN, 2017) and topics like the 880,000 won generation, urban-modernism versus traditionalism, marriage, real estate, inflation and more. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian and actress Susan Song (@sujjang012 on Instagram). Susan is trained in improv at The Groundlings and UCB. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox's 9-1-1 and TruTV's Adam Ruins Everything . Grace and Susan discuss acting, ...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 50
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Reply 1994 (tvN, 2013) as an impactful 1990s nostalgic text, Seo Taiji and Boys, Korea’s 90s moral panic, the history of banana milk and Melona, Reply 1994 ’s homophobia, and others. Grace’s guest is Dr. Todd Kushigemachi. Grace and Todd discuss the importance of labor unions and strikes among lecturers/adjuncts, the cancel-fear that gen-Z lives under, a teacher’s responsibility around self-care, Wes Anderson movies, Fig...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Season 1Ep. 49
