A Second Glance at "Familiar Wife": A Journey of Regret and Redemption
Upon first encountering "Familiar Wife," I found myself trapped in a web of conflicting emotions - primarily fueled by Cha Joo Hyuk's seemingly nonchalant attitude towards the radical shift in his life and the memories of his past wife. Like many, my initial journey with this drama halted prematurely, unable to reconcile with the male lead's choices. Yet, a renewed perspective gained from exploring other time travel narratives nudged me to revisit this title, offering a richer and more nuanced viewing experience on the second run.Cha Joo Hyuk, as I came to realize, embodies the axis of pain, regret, and growth within this narrative. Though steeped in controversy, his character development draws the audience into a reflective journey of self-discovery and transformation. Though warranted, the palpable sense of anguish he embodies unfurls a complex character trajectory that stands as the centerpiece of this drama.
The casting aligns perfectly, bringing forth a slew of seasoned actors who meld into their roles seamlessly, offering depth and dimension to the unfolding narrative. The camaraderie depicted within the bank scenes not only portrays a polished depiction of work life but resonates with familial warmth, adding a touch of realism and enjoyment to the series.
Despite the stellar cast and setting, the drama stumbles in its scriptwriting, often wandering into the realms of confusion with an over-reliance on flashbacks. Instead of propelling the story forward, these narrative tools sometimes halt the momentum, creating a disjointed viewing experience. Moreover, a more realistic portrayal of early-onset Alzheimer's, a critical plot point, would have grounded the story, offering a balanced perspective amidst the fantasy elements enveloping the time travel theme.
The set design is a testament to the meticulous attention to detail, mainly seen in the aesthetically pleasing bank setup, which leaves no stone unturned. Yet, the soundtrack fails to carve a distinct identity, blending seamlessly into the background without amplifying the emotional undertones of critical scenes.
In conclusion, "Familiar Wife" beckons viewers to approach it with an open heart and mind, offering a narrative that intertwines regret, choices, and the rippling effects of time. Although marred by certain shortcomings, it remains a worthy venture for those willing to immerse themselves in a tale that holds redemption at its core. It serves as a reflective mirror, urging viewers to ponder the implications of choice and the labyrinthine journey of human relationships, anchored firmly by remarkable performances from a well-assembled cast.
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Fun, easy story
Honestly it’s a fun story and a great idea. I did struggle at the start, my main issues being the multiple time jumps and the second FL but I thought the main couple were good - though their kisses were typical kdrama kisses - and the second couple were funny. The story overall had a some serious moments but it was nicely broken up with funny bits and the acting from everyone was an easy 10/10.I gave it a 9 overall because those last 3 episodes were incredible. Most kdramas always feel like the ending is rushed but this one did it perfectly. I’ll probably rewatch this just to see the ending again…
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- The story is one of the hot themes of the moment. A married couple who fights and wants to end things but this time only one of them makes that decision, and not both, because it's Joo Hyuk who decides to turn things around. The title is fitting, because the drama is basically around Joo Hyuk and the "familiar wife" he knows. You'll understand along the way. Like I anticipated, the story kept me entertaining for the most part because there are a lot of funny moments, but I think that after the first 11-12 episodes it was dragged, and the last episodes felt like an extension that, to some degree, could have been cut into less episodes.
- The main character, like I said, was Cha Joo Hyuk, played by Ji Sung. I've got nothing to say on the acting itself because it was really good, so I'll talk about his character. Joo Hyuk is one of those men who is selfish and lets his wife take care of the house and their children, not thinking that his wife has also a life to live and a job and that he needs to help her too. Besides this, he is also whipped, and lets other treat him like they want and when it's time to speak, he is not understood because he never spoke his true mind. In the first episodes I found his attitude annoying, but it slowly changes (although it doesn't make me like him completely). Seo Woo Jin, played by Han Ji Min, was Joo Hyuk's wife. Her husband let her do everything and rarely helped her, and this makes her angry and bitter. She could look despicable as well, but in my opinion, she had more reasons to be like this compared to Joo Hyuk, in fact I sided with her. We see different "shades" of Woo Jin that lets us see how she was before she married Joo Hyuk. She is truly an enjoyable character and stronger compared to Joo Hyuk, and I liked that. She is probably my favorite character. Luckily the story wasn't just about Joo Hyuk, but also about their friends at work and family. I liked every person at their workplace and they were funny (I admit I laughed a lot watching this drama), and I could tell that the cast got along well during filming because the group was tight. Loved to see Jang Seung Jo again in a funnier role compared to the one he had in "Money Flower". Everyone was good.
- The music gets the highest rating along with acting because it was catchy. I really like the song that they used at the beginning and that was played in the background of the shots where they showed the title of the episode.
- This drama was nice, funny, it let me spend some hours in peace and didn't make me have headaches like some other titles, but in my opinion it was a good romantic comedy with realistic acting but didn't leave a mark in my heart. This is why I gave it a 8 star rating.
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Decisions = Consequences whether you like it or not
I have a mixed feeling for this series. I was avoiding it for the longest time but then when I watched it, it's actually better than I imagined. Storyline-wise, I had a gist of what would happen and when I started to watch it, it was still kind of unexpected -- so there's an element of it being unpredictably predictable. At first, I just hate the male lead for being an ass and then gradually his character started to develop and I love how his character development went. Unfortunately, we can't say the same for the other characters because there was no continuity to their life, they just became an entirely new person after a minor change in the past that ultimately caused a butterfly effect. That's kind of where I am kind of disappointed because I can't really tell if the female lead on the 1st version, is the same as the 2nd version. They almost felt different. There were lots of questions in my mind as to whether if the time travel element wasn't present, would they improve the same way? What would've happened? I just felt like the female lead was completely deleted after all the time warp, but that's just my thought. This series also reminds me of a couple of other dramas like Go Back Couple and Emergency Couple.JiSung and Han JiMin did a great job portraying their character though. I have watched tons of JiSung's dramas and he always delivers so it's nothing new to me. He has a wide spectrum of characters he can portray (the most iconic one for me is on Kill Me, Heal Me). For some reason, WooJin's mother is an iconic character in this series, too. I felt like she did a lot of roles to make the whole series make sense but I also love the mystery that surrounds her.
Overall, I did enjoy the time watching this. There were lots of cringe-y moments that kind of felt good. I watched this with my partner and we were having long discussions about making relationships healthier so that's a plus for me. This series kind of give you an idea what to do and what not to do in a relationship so I definitely recommend this. It's such a good show to watch with your partner.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch it for the comedic element and the actors (the romance part sucks so far)
In the original timeline, the FL was had to job, juggle it with managing the household, and taking care of the kids. Something that's pretty common in Asian culture and has been glorified when all it means is putting the majority burden on one person in the married duo dynamics. (Have seen many married women, some my friends other relatives do this for their husbands and there is always resentment present in such dynamics) That's one dimension of the FL. The other part was her being non-communicative and physically abusive to her husband.The ML was so absorbed with his own life & job that he forgot that he was married to a women he loved (Similarly, the FL was so absorbed with all that she had to do, she stopped caring about the person she loved) We have no idea when the neglect started but it was mutual. They both dropped the ball in their relationship.
=>As I watched the Drama, I kept taking sides, in episode 1 I did not like the way the FL didn't give him any privacy. Throwing the crab bone at him to the point that he bled. Going full on crazy. That sucked. And that poor game console, what an overreaction. She didn't even give him time to tell her that he was in an accident.
=>At the same time in episode 1, it was easy to see that the FL took on the majority of the weight of their relationship. The kids they both had, but only one had to look after all the time. Her job was clearly more expendable then his. He failed to communicate just as much as her.
If put in her shoes, would you really be able to accept that your husband hated you so much that when he had the chance, he dumped you and got together with his first love? I certainly wouldn't. Kudos to the FL for being the mature one and realizing that they were both at fault here.
Oh we have Oh My Ghost cameos, as if Seon Woo wasn't enough of a treat, even Park Bo Young appeared as an actress in the movie that the ML was watching at the theatre. At least I think that it was really Park Bo Young on screen.
Okay. After all that, I didn't think that I would like them getting back together. But you gotta admit that they look great together and have a lot of fun as well. A majority of that is the credit to the actors playing the leads, they had good chemistry, whether they were fighting or enjoying each others company.
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A Heartfelt Tale of Regret, Realization, and Redemption
This drama tells a touching story of a man overwhelmed by the monotony of marriage and daily life. Frustrated and emotionally distant, he magically finds himself transported back to a time when he was single and carefree. However, life proves to be far from simple. As he begins to miss his children and gains a deeper understanding of his wife’s tireless efforts in holding the family together, he realizes how absent he has been as a father and husband. This emotional journey leads him to appreciate what he once took for granted, ultimately choosing to support his family and embrace happiness with them. A beautifully told story filled with emotional depth and meaningful growth.The female lead is also one of my absolute favorites. P.S She was the FL who acted in Love Scout.
If Ji Sung is part of the cast, it’s an easy recommendation—he’s an exceptional actor. Give this one a try it does not disappoint!
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Plot
Everyone is pointing out the similarities between Go Back Couple and this one. And yes,in the beginning they're definitely similar but to be honest,Familiar wife can't be compared to GBC. That drama was worth a perfect 10 and this wasn't (it's just my honest opinion)
So the plot isn't really unique and it has some flaws,it got boring from time to time and i wish it was shorter. They should've ended it around episode 13. I think they dragged the story too much (episodes 13,14 & 15 were just fillers) to the point i wanted to start a whole new drama and watch this one later. The writers also left a couple of questions unanswered.
But overall it's not like i didn't enjoy it,i actually did. I liked that it highlighted well the fact that most marriages and relationships aren't perfect and that you should learn to communicate better and have a good teamwork to make it work and not fall apart. Also, the ending was perfect. I'm glad i could see how all the characters lived before, during and after the changes.
Acting
The acting is a 10. The cast did a wonderful job and Ji Sung never disappoints.
Some of the characters are gonna get on your nerves. A LOT. But this drama has such an amazing character development. You can see it through all of the episodes. And it's really satisfactory.
So,it's not a drama that i will be remembering forever. It failed in making me feel excited until the end. And as a drama binger,i don't really recommend watching this all at once. (If you're like me and get bored easily...) But i do recommend it if you like time travelling dramas and amazing acting.
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This review may contain spoilers
Lacking something
I am not quite sure what to say about this drama. The plot overall in in one sense is truly relevant to present times and to a lot of married couples and in another sense it’s ...disjointed for a lack of better word. I have nothing against time travel plots (Signal is one of my 10/10 ) but somehow in this drama it’s just a means to an end for me. Maybe there’s just too many characters who knows about the time travel “secret” that it kind of lost it’s novelty in the middle of the story?Dislikes: (1) portrayal of mom’s dementia is out of tune with reality. People with dementia forget their past, they do not act like little kids again. They lose their way around, they don’t “escape”. (2) No chemistry between the two main leads and the cringey relationship between the ML and the second wife. (3) don’t hate me but I find the FL acting here as “trying too hard” to be chirpy and energetic but somehow did not meet the mark
Likes: (1) Ji Sung’s acting chops did not disappoint, this guy is talented period. It’s a shame that the projects he’s done (that I’ve seen anyway) doesn’t really give his skills the spotlight it deserves. (2) The teasing of the office crew when they tried to bring the leads together, now that made me laugh silly. (3) The youngest male employee character “Hwan”, this kid portrayed the role impeccably, he’s a natural. (4) The best part I think is the bromance, their friendship was genuine despite of the “betrayal”, the actors were so good I feel that they were just playing with each other on the set during filming.
In summary this drama highlights the working mothers and wives and for that I appreciate the story but it failed to show how marriage is a two way relationship. It just won’t work any other way.
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Grass is always greener on the other side
Writing this review took me more that I care to admit. For a long time I wasn’t sure why, but it dawned on me, that the reason is fairly simple. This drama didn’t bring any emotions to me. It was just as average as it could. And it’s not exactly wrong thing.Let’s start from the beginning, Cha Joo Hyuk, our main character is just an average bank employee. No-one really special. The problem is that he’s not really happy with his life, especially with his wife, who changed throughout the years and become very mean and even brutal person towards him. Having two little children doesn’t really make his life easier, especially that his private life really takes its toll on his work.
So it’s fair to say, he wished his life was different. And luckily he gets his chance of changing the future when he goes back in time to the day that changed his life. So the next day he wakes up in different house with different woman by his side. But is this change really for better?
This is the question that follows our main character, Cha Joo Hyuk, for the whole drama. There’s this old saying that came to my mind when I was watching the series: “life is always greener on the other side”, which means that we always find things that we don’t have more desirable. And this is basically the moral of this story. Because Joo Hyuk’s new life is not so perfect either. Soon he discovers that his wife, that he complained so much before was like that mostly because of him. When he meets her in this new life, she seems completely different, more likeable person. And his new wife is not so perfect as he thought she would be.
Joo Hyuk finally realises that problem with his marriage wasn’t his wife but rather what their relationship made of her and he’s sure that he doesn’t want to make this mistake again.
This is also a story of how our life choices matter and how we influence with our behaviour life of others. About mistakes of the past and understanding their consequences. It’s a story of how the grass is always greener on the other side.
The characters very strongly develop throughout the series and not only because of changes that Joo Hyuk makes in the past. Their choices have real influence on their character and later actions.
The thing that really didn’t stand out was the music or lack of actually original soundtrack. All we get is mostly generic background tune. So there’s not much to talk about here, but honestly I’ve noticed it in the middle of the drama and it wasn’t really nothing bad here.
I love how Joo Hyuk’s coworker’s attitude changes towards him in different scenarios. At first he wasn’t liked because he was always late and unreliable. Then they were nice to him because he married to influential family and basically he could do anything without consequences. They were finally truly friendly towards him when he was consciously himself and wasn’t burdened by problems in his relationships. He was most liked when we was literally the best version of himself.
There’re some good things I can say about this series, it has this absolutely amazing main idea, that I loved from the start. The only problem is that I don’t think it was used well enough. At the end we’ve got very solid drama, with good cast, but after finishing last episode I’ve felt a bit disappointed. This is just not one of those highly memorable dramas that you think about weeks after finishing it.
But on the other hand, it doesn’t have to be. What it is, is just enough.
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The cast was great both Ji Sung and Han Ji Min. I loved their character portrayal. The supporting cast was also great!
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Not even alternative timelines can stop love
This drama is captivating. The story isn't original, nor is it spectacularly filmed, but it still manages to hook you; you want to know what's going to happen with this couple in love. The series narrates how a character would face the possibility of changing something in their life, stemming from decisions made at a crucial turning point. Would taking the alternative decision truly improve our lives, or are we always the "constant problem"? In other words, are we doomed to an unsatisfactory fate regardless of the decisions we make, due to aspects of our own personality that prevent us from personal growth, or not? This reflection can be interesting, but the truly compelling part is the love story between the protagonists.I must say, I love the character played by Han Ji-Min; I've seen her in many dramas and she never disappoints, even in the less-than-good ones. Ji-Sung's character, on the other hand, starts out as the one who "suffers" due to his hectic life, coupled with the domestic abuse he endures. However, as the series progresses (in the flashbacks), we see that the essential problem of this couple is a lack of communication from both sides. Still, initially, you understand, at least in part, why he made the decision he did (I don't like that he never really considered his children), as his wife seems insufferable. But then you feel sorry for her because she has to juggle her job and family life, in addition to her sick mother (which doesn't justify the violence).
I love how, in the timelines different from the original, Han Ji-Min's character improves in many aspects, making you wonder if it really wouldn't have been better for her not to marry Ji-Sung's character. However, as is common in these dramas, these two characters are destined to be together in any timeline, whether earlier or later in their lives. Despite all this, I enjoyed this drama because there's chemistry between the protagonists, and the romantic story between the characters is always pleasant to watch across all timelines, especially because of the assertive and proactive character of Seo Woo-Jin (Han Ji-min).
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This review may contain spoilers
Stick with this drama after the first two episodes, I promise it’s worth it. I went in to it thinking it would be a filler between dramas, but it was so much more. By the end of it I felt so satisfied. The characters were redeemed, not by changing the past, but by changing how they reacted to it going forward and changing their own behavior. It really made me wistful for what marriage SHOULD be: teamwork, respect, friendship, and love. The acting was great and story gave me all the feels. Was it realistic? Sometimes, yes. Time travel premise, no. But it’s definitely worth your time to watch. One of the better Korean dramas I have watched in the last few months. Was this review helpful to you?
