$8 for peanuts and 8% viewership! Wow, I don’t know if this is the power of Gong Hyo-jin or Kang Haneul’s return, or the very Korean-ness of this tv show, but whatever it is, When the Camellia Blooms hit a very good opening viewership at 7.4% average and 8% peak during its one hour premiere. For a drama that didn’t really have a red carpet roll out, that is amazing.
After having checkout the first episode (and soon to check out the second, please be good, please be good) I can say that the hype of the first episode is definitely worth it. When the Camellia Blooms is that quirky kind of show that has you wondering how an entire street of shops can be owned by women, the obsession an optician has with peanuts, and how a normal dude can sniff out crime like he has a spidey sense. Plus, there is a serial killer on the loose.
On paper, this drama didn’t sound all that appetizing to me, kind of like my yesterdays cereal. Even if it is my favorite cereal, I’m not eating that mess, its all soaked through with milk! But the cast, directing, and writing pulled it together to make a delightful mess of laughs and heart.
Netflix is showing When the Camellia Blooms exclusively outside of Korea, so if you want to tune in, you can tune in there. The next episode airs today in Korea, I’ll let y’all know my thoughts as soon as we drop everything to watch it.
