Healing Dramas, Subtitles, and White Trucks of Doom with Brett Battles

S1 E8 / Brett Battles, thriller author and Kdrama fan, joins me this week to talk about Kdramas with emotional depth and a healing vibe.

🚛 We also delve into subtitles vs. dubbing as well as some tried and true tropes, like white dump trucks of doom. 

♥️ 🌊 If you’re looking for new titles to add to your watchlist, check out Brett’s recs for heartfelt dramas, which for some reason  are often set in seaside town. 😉

⚠️ Our conversation touches on the following shows, mostly discussing the general set-up of shows, but there are a few spoilers for older shows. 

• Squid Game 
• Crash Landing on You 
• Something in the Rain
• It's Okay to Not Be Okay 
• Our Beloved Summer
• Run On
• Moving
• Like Flowers in Sand
• Call It Love
• Tell Me That You Love Me
• Gaus Electronics
• Perfect Marriage Revenge
• Marry My Husband
• Twinkling Watermelon
• Lovely Runner
• Signal
• Goblin 
• Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
• Strong Girl Nam Soon
• A Shop for Killers
• Welcome to Sandal-ri
• Love Scout
• Motel California
• When the Stars Gossip
• Beyond Goodbye
• Twinkling Watermelon 
• The Glory
• Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha 
• Twenty-Five Twenty-One
• Attorney Woo
• Beyond Goodbye

Brett’s website: 

https://brettbattles.com/

NoSleep4Dramas podcast with mention of Like Flowers in Sand: https://www.nosleep4dramas.com/post/top-10-kdramas-of-2024

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:16

This is the How I Met My K-Drama podcast, and it's all about K-drama origin stories and recommendations. And I'm Sarah Rosette, and today Brett Battles is here. Hi, Brett. How are you? I'm good. How are you? Doing great. Excited to talk about K-drama.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

I'm excited too. I've been looking forward to this.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Me too. Yeah. Well, tell us a bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Uh okay. I am um a full-time novelist uh uh and have been so for now 16 years. I used to work in Hollywood before that. Uh and I did a lot of uh television graphics and main titles and and IDs and stuff, but I I'm not as the artist, but as the project manager, basically, executive producer, that kind of thing. Um, but then I finally was able to go full-time writing, and I've been writing ever since. So that's so story is my life.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Yeah. And K dramas are so appealing because of that, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

How did you get into K-dramas? And do you remember what your first one was?

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Well, I I think my origin story um is going to be probably similar to a lot of uh non-Korean um people's in uh entry into it, and that was basically through Squid Games. The first first one. Uh and I I I I knew about them before that. I mean, I I've heard people talk about them, but I never really thought much about it. And the the the premise of Squid Games was very fascinating to me because like some of my work very veers into the sci fi or or into the speculative stuff occasionally. It it and uh it always appeals to me something weird and different and stuff that can be done well. And I totally enjoyed the first um Squid Games, it was very entertaining, very violent. Uh not that I'm necessarily looking for that, but I I you know I I can watch that. But it was really interesting, and so it got me thinking, and I I I think I saw it like right when it came out, which was I believe the end of 2021. And this is of course in the middle of the pandemic, so we're not really doing going out a lot at this point still. So I think in in January of 2022, I said, well, let me start checking out. I Netflix has a few of these on. I'll start, I'll start with that. And so I immediately uh the big show at that point, I believe, I mean, the one I was hearing a lot about was uh Crash Landing on You, but I avoided it for a little bit because everybody was talking about it. And I just go, oh, okay, all right, all right, let me see what else is here first. And so um I did watch uh Something in the Rain, which is also uh so uh sh um Sony Jin, who is in Crash Landing on On You, and and that one, you know, gutted me. And I I'd ever, you know, it'd probably been I don't know, decades since I'd ever cried that much uh by myself, maybe forever. I watched that show. And and and that was kind of like uh um a a dopamine hook that just like grabbed on to me. Then I watched um It's okay to not be okay, which was really, really good. Um uh about uh a guy with an autistic brother and there's mysterious past and all the and a ch children's book writer who was hated children and it was uh it was really interesting. It was very it was very good. And uh so I went I went that and that, and then um oh I I think and then I think is when I watched right around that time I watched Our Beloved Summer, which is always in my top five. Okay, top three, probably. And it's one of the few K dramas that I've re-watched. Actually, I think I've rewatched it twice now. I don't usually re-watch shows because there's so many other ones to go. But now it has a certain feel and appeal. It's a uh a second chance romance. It's the you know, you get the layered stories of the people's lives and why things fell apart and how they're trying to build it back together and you know, miscommunications and all that stuff. And it was really, really well written, in my opinion, and and and really loved it. Just absolutely loved it. And I basically haven't looked back since. I almost exclusively watch K dramas these days, and I've watched well over a hundred uh in just in the two or three not one now, three years that I've been doing it.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

I mean, it's so interesting that it seems like if people find them in their and they like them, they just you know go down the rabbit hole, and then Western television just doesn't appeal to me as much. Yeah. I was on a plane recently and I was like, oh my gosh. I was searching the the in flight content and I was like, these just don't do it for me. I watched something and it was fine, but I feel like a lot of Western television now is just fine. And I feel like K Drama is uh there's something about the emotional they they really know how to get the emotional hit.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Yeah, into you. Yeah, and I mean, and often they're doing this the same tricks from show to show and show, and it works every freaking time.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

And it's I I know why does this keep working on me?

SPEAKER_01 6:09

And I love it. But yeah, I want more of it. Occasionally, um, you know, I'll watch something. There are definitely ones that I like that I'm gonna um do, but it's mostly K dramas, and that actually has led me into watching a few uh Chinese dramas and some Japanese dramas, so and one or two Thai dramas, but mainly it's it's the Korean dramas with the spattering of the Chinese and Japanese, and it's great.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

I and I have to say, um always with subtitles, never because you got always always subs over dubs, always for me too.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yeah, and and I I I also have to say I have some friends who are actors who do dubs for some of these, and so it's I'm not you know, this is no shade against their wonderful work that they're doing, but I just like to hear the actual voice coming out of it.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Yes, and I feel like you get their intonation and their their cadence of their speech.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

The jabbers are trying, but yeah, so um, you know, they're they're confined by the scripts that they're being given, whether the translation is, I mean, not that the subtitles translation is is gonna necessarily be a hundred percent because oh that's not true, but still gist of it.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

And then have you seen um run on?

SPEAKER_01 7:31

It's uh oh yeah, run on.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Yeah, and it's got a character who does the subtitling. And I thought that was fascinating. It was really good. Yeah, how they talked about how sometimes you can't put everything the character says because the scene isn't long enough, so you have to condense it down.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yeah, it was very interesting. That was a good one. It's on my on my good list. I think I gave that a bit.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Well, tell us um 5k dramas that like we've already gone through a couple, but do you have a top five list, five 35 list?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Do we have I I will I will give you some of my top. I'm not really sure uh where they rank um uh just because of some of your favorites. Some of my favorites, eagle. Um probably the two that stand out the most for me still are well, our beloved summer is always gonna be up there. Moving on on Disney Plus is spectacular. The the storyline on that, or the writing on that, the acting, the the backstorm, it is just a masterpiece of story. I mean, it's it, you know, if you it's a superhero um uh story, but if you call it that, it it feels like you're demeaning what it is because it's really a drama about family and what people do for each other for to protect their families. Um and so it's it's uh masterpiece. I'm gonna throw out one that doesn't get a lot of um love anywhere that I'm looking. Um I mean, people say that they like it, but uh they really like it, but not as many people talk about it. It's it was just came out last year and it's on Netflix, and it's called uh Like Flowers in Sand. There's a romance sort of, there's a mystery involved. You also get about um this form of um uh Korean wrestling that you I didn't even know anything about, but in a way that it's actually interesting. The whole it's very integrated into the whole story, and the characters and the acting are absolutely superb.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

There's another podcast called No Sleep for Dramas, and that's one of her top picks for last year. And she said the same thing. She said, I just don't hear people talk about this. And I remember it showing up, but I never really tried it. So it's on my list.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Huge recommend on that. Um, uh two others that are uh I think on Disney Plus or Hulu, uh, if you get those, uh-huh, Call It Love and Tell Me That You Love Me, uh are slow burn. Call It Love has a lot of slow burn just drama and angst everything. Tell me that you love me is just a really gentle slow burn thing. It's neither of them necessarily. I'm not gonna say they have a happy ending or not, but you that'll be up to you to figure out. Right. Uh, but really good. Um yeah, and then you know, god, I got I I I literally have I could go on and on and on.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Gallus electronics, which is a laughing hilarious comedy, which is like completely opposite from like call it love.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Have you seen so funny? Yeah, my god, I I don't think I've laughed as much ever at that. Um uh Welcome to Somdollary is great on Netflix. The two um ones that came out pretty much the same time last year, uh Perfect Marriage Revenge and Marry My Husband are basically the same story, right? The same premise, and they're but they do it differently, and they're both tons of fun. Perfect Marriage is a lot more campy, and Marry Marry My Husband is a lot more well serious but funny, but so good. And Lovely Runner, who can uh lovely runner last year was just spectacular. You you're you gotta shut me down because okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Well, I haven't seen Lovely Runner. That's one that I haven't watched, but it's on my I mean, I will probably watch it someday. But like you said, something about constantly getting recommended, yeah, crash landing on you. There, I was like, yeah, I don't know. I'm just gonna I was already deep into something else. So that one passed me by, but I have watched Mary My Husband, and I was so hooked on that. Oh, it was really partly it was, and I don't think I've watched a lot of revenge stuff. That's not something I'm interested in, but it was her taking back her life that I was like, oh my goodness, this is so gripping.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

It's the exact same premise down to what happens in the first episode.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Oh, that's funny.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Perfect marriage revenge. But it's it's more over the top, I think. Uh-huh. Perfect marriage revenge. But it's just as fun. But it's it's more, it's more over top. I did finally go watch Flat Crash Landing on you and loved it. I mean, it's ridiculous. Yeah, me too. And wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

I gave in. I had the same experience. I was like, I don't know. But I did love it too. Once I got into it, so it's like I'm a slow, I'm like a late adopter, I guess. Yeah. Well, do you have a K-drama trope that's if you see it, you're watching it, that's you don't even need to know anything about the story?

SPEAKER_01 12:48

I I would say I'm a I'm a sucker for a time travel thing. I mean, like Mary my uh Mary My Husband, Perfect Mary Revenge, um uh what were what are some of the uh twinkling watermelon, which moved two years ago maybe? So good.

SPEAKER_04 13:04

Yeah, so um uh I can't remember.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

There was there's a couple others. Um those those I'll get. I'm usually more I'm a sucker for you know, uh if there's certain actors in something or I will check those out. Um if it if I hear that it's by the same um writer or um a production director of of a I I I'll of something that I absolutely I will check out something else that they've done. Um often uh if I see the uh a trailer or uh if I'm on TikTok and somebody's got this just dropped a scene from the thing and that scene just grabs me, I go, what is this? And I look it up to my list, yeah, just kind of move on there, or like I'm on I'm on the K Drama recommends on Reddit. I'm checking that all the time. Um and there's also just the K drama on Reddit, and I get stuff off of there. I mean, everywhere. I'm just looking for the stuff. Plus, you know, as you know, getting into these things, you get to know what the new stuff is coming a lot. You've noticed it, you you're you're clued into it. Um I have a uh the a direct K drama website, uh what is it? It's um uh drama beans, I think.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Yes, drama beans, yeah. Check that every day just to see what's see what's out there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Yeah, make sure I'm all up to date and and also see what people are what they're thinking of the shows that I'm watching.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Yeah, see what people thought.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Were were vibant on it or not, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Yeah. Do you um are you a binge watcher or do you prefer to uh I used to dole it out over time?

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Yeah, I used to be more of a binge watcher when I first started out, which was good because I was catching up and I went back, you know, several years. Right. You know, I'd watch I think the farthest back for me is like 2016 or 2017, something there. And I know they go way, way, way back. But um, I I just didn't have the time to do all that. But yeah, I would be benching and also it was a pandemic, so it was easier to bench.

SPEAKER_04 15:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Um now I have a set schedule for my life because otherwise I won't get my work done. And I have a time when I'm going when I watch my shows, and usually I'll watch two shows a night, and it's usually one episode of one thing and another episode of another. Um because now I I'm for the most part, I'm watching things as they come out.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Okay, yeah, so you can't binge.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Yeah, I didn't do that at first. I think for my first year, I waited until the show was all the way out before I would watch it because then I would binge like two or three episodes a night, you know. But now it's like, you know, one of this and one of that, or it what gets hectic is when you're what you're following like four or five shows that are all out at the same time and you're going, when am I gonna see?

SPEAKER_00 15:55

How do I gonna work all these into my busy schedule? Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

That's the high point. I'll figure out a way.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Yeah, we always do, yeah. Well, um, has K drama watching K drama impacted your writing at all?

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Um, I think so, and uh probably in ways that I'm not even sure of. Um, you know, I am impacted by the you know, the the emotions that they evoke, and you know, I've always tried to get a little bit of emotion into my stuff anyway. But um hopefully that's getting through. And I may or may not have included a dump truck of death in one of my books. So I'm not saying I did them on on purpose, but I was not familiar with the the truck of doom until I started watching K dramas.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

And the very first one I watched, it was Attorney Woo, and there was a dump truck, and I was like, oh yeah, it was like so frightening.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

And and and now I know it happens all the time.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah, and I'm like, oh it's another truck of doom. But I do think it's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Umbrella. Yeah. Oh, so many, and I love them all. I love them all.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

I know me too. I do think it's interesting though. I wonder if Truck of Doom is used in Korean television a lot because they don't have guns in their society.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

And so, like, and you if you want something dramatic, you're probably not going to poison somebody, the you know, in mystery writer, so I have to think about these things. Exactly. I'm not just thinking how to kill people.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

Yes, yeah, no, I do the same thing. I'm just going, hmm, how could they do? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Well, um we touched on this a little bit, but uh why do you think K-dramas are so addictive? Is it just the emotion that they that they I feel like they go for the emotion, you know?

SPEAKER_01 17:40

I think the emotion is great. Uh the fact that it's when you go in, you know you're getting the whole series. Yes. And that is not something that was always the case, and still is the case for broadcast uh UI stuff.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Yes, we've been left hanging many times, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:57

But but uh for K or for um streaming services, you can have a closed-in thing. But even now, you know, those streaming services, a lot of those are going for two or three or four seasons, so you know if it's gonna close or not. But K-dramas, they are always or almost always, I don't want to say always, I think there are like a couple exceptions, but they are almost always a complete here's a chunk, boom, here's the whole thing. There may be another season later they come back, but then that's a full chunk too, usually. You know, and it's only come back because it's so the other one was so popular or whatever. But um I I love that about it. I love the the emotional content that we talk about. I think that's the uh the thing. I think they have very, you know, this is not necessarily across the board, but pretty pretty much have very high production value.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Yeah, yeah, I I agree.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

The uh the acting is top notch. Top notch. There and and and I love it. Um just like uh here in the States, the writing is can be very good or it can be mediocre and the acting or the directing very good or mediocre, depending on the material and uh what all sorts of situations, it's just like anywhere else. But I don't know what the the combination of all of it, it's very, very interesting and it just draws me in. And I just can't get enough.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Yeah, I feel like in some ways I tend to watch the lighter ones, you know, the lighter content. And I feel in some ways people oftentimes like the comparison is like to a Hallmark movie or something like that because of the tone. But I feel like K dramas go for more depth, and there's there's like a care taken with the creation of the characters, the the character in Run On who is a subtitleist. That's something that's unusual and different, and you get into it a little bit, yeah, and you get to kind of see that world a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

Well, of course, opposed to a you know, a Hallmark movie is like an hour and a half.

SPEAKER_00 20:02

Yes, it's not a fair comparison, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:04

12 to 16 episodes, but your point is valid. And I and I also I love I mean, I've totally gotten into all the romances on on cable. I mean, you can't you can't miss it, you know. If you're gonna watch them, you're gonna see them, but it's not an everything. You I guess you can miss if you want. But um, yeah, it's it they're layered. You see, that's why our beloved summer is like so good to me. Just so it's so layered. Like how why marrying my husband was so good because you get all these layers going on, and they drop all the information right away on any of these stuff.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Yeah, a little like a you get a little tidbit, and I feel like K-dramas have this blending of genres that you don't sometimes see. Like you'll have a romance, but then you may have a mystery plot in there as well, or you may have a mystery plot with time travel, or you know, something that we'd be like, hmm. Have you watched um Signal, where they do it's mystery?

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Oh, it's on my list.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Time travel. You I mean, sorta time travel, but not really. Yeah, it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

It's I'll check that one out. You check out like flowers and sand because you will love it. I will.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Oh, yeah, I think I will. Well, do you have any K-drum disappointments? Anything that was like, eh, it kind of fell flat for you.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

Um yes, probably. Uh uh, I'm just gonna check my little drop list here. Um why is this not that's not right? Um, okay, this is not going to be a popular thing because this is a show that many people love. All right.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

It's okay. We all have different tastes, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:51

Right. And that's Goblin.

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Like a super popular one. Yes, I know. My my problem was he's 800 years old. Old and she's a high school student.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

And I think you're not the only person who has felt that way. I couldn't get past that.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

And it was like, okay, all right. Uh so I didn't finish that one. And let's see, what uh oh, I loved strong uh strong woman um Doubangsu. Yeah, I love that one. But the the the sequel, The Strong Girl Namson, which came out last year. Terrible, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_04 22:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Um, and and it it it was the writing, it was just really weak story time. And um, and I did not finish that one. So those are like there, there are there are others I can throw out to you, but uh those two are uh yeah big disappointments to me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Um well I feel like people may listen to this podcast for recommendations. And since we're all so different and we all have different kinds of tastes, I think it's helpful if somebody's like, oh yes, I loved, you know, four or five you mentioned, maybe knowing what you didn't like helps people go, okay, that will help me figure out what maybe I don't even want to try, or or sometimes things get so built up that when you watch them, you're like, oh, that was just okay. So you hear a lot of chatter. But um so I was oh obviously you keep track of your you have a drop list. Do you write everything down?

SPEAKER_01 23:24

I found uh um what is it? My it's uh it's a website called My Drama List. My drama list and it also has an app, so I have it on my phone. So I keep trying it, it makes it makes it so much easier. And I tried to go back and get all the ones that I've watched, but I don't sure there's some missing from my list that I forgot to put on there. So every once in a while I'll see one and go, I saw that. Oh, I need that, whatever. But uh yeah, I love uh yeah, that's great. It keeps everything organized for me. And I love it because if I see an uh an actress that I'm really enjoying the performance, I can look and see what else she you can see immediately all the ones they were in. And then also there's a lot of of the um supporting actors who are in tons of different things who are really good, and I and you know, you don't always know what shows they're in. So I always look through their bios and and then see all the shows they are in to see how that's connected, or I'll see someone they go, God, where else have I seen what other shows personal? They're so familiar. Oh, yes, they do check K-track.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

I know a lot of K drama watchers do. They have either their own rating system or they use something like that. Yeah. Well, if you had a friend who had never watched K-dramas, uh would would there be one in particular that you would recommend like you feel like would be brought appeal?

SPEAKER_01 24:51

I it will I I am I am the person who will always couch every answer because it will depend on the you know uh if my if it's a friend who's into uh uh light romances and and or just romance and and and and maybe some fun, it would probably either be our blood summer or crash landing on you because those are really good entries into it. So if if it's a thriller writer uh or a thriller actor who enjoys those things, I I I would uh go immediately for a shop for killers, which is on oh yeah, and and and Disney Plus, which is pan freaking tastic. It's so good. It's all basically takes place over one day or one afternoon over eight episodes, except there's also flashbacks. So the flashback is different. But anyway, that's that's really good. Twinkling watermelon is another great one on on the romancey kind of side that I might put in there. Um uh yeah, if if they if they like revenge and don't mind some of or don't mind a lot of violence, I would go for the glory. Um which is really good, but really intense. Uh yeah. Uh uh I'm just looking uh if they if you want uh just something uh like Welcome to Sound Dollary is just such a it's like a uh a healing kind of show, you know. You're watching it is romance, but it's um and there is some it's a beautiful setting too. It's just that's a beautiful setting and everything.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Um attorney woo is good for somebody to to it's a good entry. Uh although it's more of an episode of the week kind of a drama, which is not necessarily although it's not a hundred percent episode of the week, but it is middle case of the week, or case the episode. Um, and most of the dramas are a little bit more spread out.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

Right. Yeah. I think maybe the attorney, maybe the medical type shows are more episodic, or they have that more episodic feel a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Um Dr. Romantic is like that. Yeah. Uh hospital playlist is a little like that. Yeah. Both of them very good.

SPEAKER_04 27:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Daily Dose of Sunshine, which is on the A Nurse in a Psych Ward.

SPEAKER_04 27:16

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

And that uh that also is has the weekly thing, but there's also the whole thing through. That's really good. That's that's um she's excellent too, the lead actress, uh, who's the same one from Strong Woman.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Oh, okay. Perfect. Okay, well, that's a great list of recommendations. So what are you currently watching right now?

SPEAKER_01 27:39

Uh, currently watching, I am currently watching, I'm I'm balancing several. Um, let's see. I well, I I'm watching Love Scout, which I am absolutely loving.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Me too.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

Absolutely loving. And I and um I believe that's the same P say one of the either the writer or the PD is was also with um uh One Spring Night or Air. Oh, okay. Something in the rain. Okay kind of feel. Um well, and she is she was the star of One Spring Night.

SPEAKER_04 28:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

I it took uh because her It took me a while too to figure that out.

SPEAKER_04 28:17

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Look, she looks completely different. Um I'm watching Motel California, which is really enjoying. Uh-huh. I'm watching When the Stars Gossip.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

I've seen one episode of that.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

It's I mean it it's it's funky. There are moments are quirky, funky. I just I mean, it it's not the actors, they're all really good. I just I don't know. They I I I think that comes out, and I haven't I I'm 15 minutes away from finishing the last the sixth episode at this point. I s and it's been days. Yeah. And if I'm not going right back, it's like Yeah. The other one the other one I'm watching is actually a Japanese drama, and it's on I think it's Netflix. It's uh is it Netflix or Vicky? It's um Beyond Goodbye. Okay. It's uh about a woman whose fiance passes away in an accident, and his heart is used to save this other guy's life, and she ends up I mean he's married, but they connect, and it's just about grief and and c overcoming it, and and in and it's not the show is not d depressing in any way. It's it's actually kind of a healing, really beautiful uh show. And I think it's only eight episodes.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

I'm like almost done. I have like two episodes to go. Really enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

Sounds good, sounds excellent. Yeah, wow. Well, yeah, you're busy with your drama watching.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

Yeah, I mean, who has time to work with all these dramas to watch?

SPEAKER_00 30:02

I know we have to limit ourselves, right?

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Exactly. Well, if people are interested in your books, where can they find your books?

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Oh, uh, you can find my books. You can also find where I am on social media at all of that's at my website, which is brettbabbles.com, B-R-E-T-T, B-A-T-T-L-E-S.com.

SPEAKER_04 30:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

And um, and then I'm I occasionally K dramas on uh on like threads and um blue uh blue sky. Thank you, blue sky.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

At other there's so many social media right now is in that people, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Yeah, yeah. So uh I'll occasionally mention stuff on there.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

So okay. Well, that is great. Well, I'll put the link in the show notes and I'll have the list of everything you mentioned in the show notes too. And maybe you can come back after I watch Flowers in the Sand and we can talk about it. I would love to. I yeah, we can do like a analysis.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

I would love to. That I love that show. It's just so good.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

Yeah, and see, that's not something that I would think. Oh, I must the wrestling. I would be like, eh, I don't know. But it sounds like that's integrated into the rest of the show, and it's just a part of it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

That's the only other show other than our beloved summer that I've actually watched again.

SPEAKER_04 31:23

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

And um it it's just I did not, I went into the same thing. I go, what is this? And I why I go, I'm not wrestling. And I I watched the first episode and I was listening. Okay, yeah, I'm in. Yeah, it's like it's very much um uh hometown cha cha cha cha cha uh or psalm uh welcome to Salem de Red. Not not necessarily the definitely not the tone of hometown cha cha cha. And um kind of a little closer to Salem de Red, but it's that small town on the coast, um and all the town character people characters in town, but there's a definite mystery going on, and it's uh you know, it's it's can be a little more serious, but it's also funny. And the lead actor got he is great, and the the lead actress is wonderful. Um, she uh I if did you watch 21 or 2521?

SPEAKER_00 32:17

I have not watched that one yet because of the I've heard it's really, really sad, and I was like, uh you know, certain ones you need to be in the mood for.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

It's so good. I'm not the you know, the the people with 2521, you you're in two camps. You either are okay with the ending or you're not okay. I'm not necessarily okay with the ending, and there was a another little problem I had with the show, but most of it is fantastic. I mean, Kim Terry, who's the at least just one of my favorite all time, but the the lead um actress flower like Flowers and Sand is played, uh she was like the third female lead. There's there's five main characters basically in the show, and she is the sister of the brother who loves is in love with the second female lead. But she has a big part, and and it uh so I anyway, it took me a while to make the connection there, but she is great. I can't wait to see her stuff.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

So yeah, that's the fun part too, is if you find an actor, you can go back and watch their backlist.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

I've watched almost everything Kim Terry has done because she is just I mean, she is amazing.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

All right. Well, this has been great. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Thank you for fitting in with amongst the wildfires and the everything that's been going on.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Thank you for giving me some place to give an outlet to my to the passion I have for this that I that no one around me understands or knows about.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Well, and people that don't watch it, you can't really talk about it with them because they're just they don't get it. And they don't get it. Yeah. So so you're very welcome. And it's great for me because I get to do the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

Yeah, great. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

All right. Well, um, you can find the links in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to write or review it wherever you listen to podcasts. That will help K Drumma fans find the podcast. And I will see you next time. Bye, everyone.