Ratings Rise But 'The Joseon Gunman' Holds First Place

The ratings rose for all three Wednesday-Thursday night dramas but the order remained the same. The order is not likely to change for the few remaining episodes but they are not that far apart so anything is possible.

The KBS historical drama "The Joseon Gunman" remained in first place, rising from 11.1 percent to 11.7 percent.

The drama is gearing up for a tense finale between Park Yoon Kang, played by Lee Jun Ki, and his enemy Choi Won Shin, played by Yu Oh Sung. Swordfighter and sharpshooter Yoon Kang loses an important ally when Kanemaru, played by Otani Ryohei, makes the ultimate sacrifice to save him, and that sacrifice defines Yoon Kang's next course of action.

Following close behind is the romantic comedy "Fated To Love You," starring Jang Hyuk, Jang Nara and Choi Jin Hyuk. Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara play former spouses who never got over each other but whom misunderstanding and misguided motives have separated.

The drama climbed from 10.5 to 11.1 percent as the former spouses drew a little closer to resolving those misunderstandings. Choi Jin Hyuk's character wants to marry Jang Nara's character. And if Jang Hyuk does not quickly express his feelings for his ex-wife, he may lose her forever. "Fated to Love You" has done a great job of meshing the tragedy of losing a child with light romantic comedy.

In last place is "It's Okay It's Love" but it's not that far behind. Given its star cast, it had a good shot at first place, but the drama, like its characters has some issues that may have caused it to linger in third place. It is a first in that it highlights its characters' psychological problems in a very sympathetic way. This may have attracted some viewers while turning others away.

Still, the drama is not that far behind, having risen this week from 9.7 percent to 10.0 percent in the ratings. The psychiatrist played by Gong Hyo Jin, is working on her problems as she allowed herself to become intimate with her temporary roommate, the mystery novelist played by Jo In Sung. However, she still can't believe his declarations of love.

That may be prudent on her part as his character's grip on reality is pretty tenuous. Jo In Sung's character sees people that are not there and these disturbing hallucinations prompt him to hurt himself.

Will the feelings these two characters have for each other help them heal? And will the final episode boost the drama's ratings? Stay tuned.