What are the odds of two dramas about split personalities having a face-off for first place in the ratings? That's what happened this week when Hyun Bin's "Jekyll, Hyde and Me" went head-to-head in a ratings battle with Ji Sung's "Kill Me, Heal Me."
This week the clear winner was "Kill Me, Heal Me."
Ji Sung's character in the drama has seven personalities as opposed to Hyun Bin's character only having two, but that's not all that accounts for the 9.9 percent rating that "Kill Me, Heal Me" received. The drama, which also stars Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon, was 9.5 percent last week.
The ratings for the competition, "Hyde, Jekyll, and Me," dropped to 8.0 percent from 8.6 percent this week, creating an even wider gap between the two contenders. "Hyde, Jekyll and Me" co-stars Han Ji Min and Sung Joon.
Why does one drama about multiple personalities get better ratings than another drama? "Hyde, Jekyll and Me" is Hyun Bin's comeback drama after military duty? His eager fans might have bumped the drama to first place, but they didn't. Here are a few comments that netizens have made about the difference between the two dramas.
In "Kill Me, Heal Me" Ji Sung's main personality is a pleasant if timid one, while Hyun Bin's main personality in "Jekyll, Hyde and Me" is cold and unlikable. Ji Sung has proven chemistry with his "Secret Love" co-star Hwang Jung Eum, which fans prefer over Hyun Bin's chemistry with Han Ji Min. Ji Sung's character has more personalities, which keeps the plot interesting. It's not always bad or good but sometimes he's silly. Even Ji Sung's bad guy personality, guyliner and all, is fairly likable and seems endearingly vulnerable.
But "Hyde, Jekyll and Me" is still fairly new and the playing field can always change.
The KBS historical drama "The King's Face" remained in third place and dropped slightly. Last week it rated 8.2 percent, placing it only slightly lower than "Hyde, Jekyll and Me." This week it is down to 7.8 percent, which is still close to "Hyde, Jekyll and Me" but further away from the frontrunner, "Kill Me, Heal Me."
"The King's Face," which stars Seo In Guk, Jo Yoon Hee and Lee Jung Jae, is the story of a prince who uses face reading to protect himself and secure a place in the palace.
Which drama are you watching? Why do you like it?
