My Husband in Law

A Chaotic Ride I Somehow Couldn't Stop Watching

honestly, I wasn't even planning to watch My Husband in Law. After To the Moon and Back, which was recommended to me, I was having a really hard time starting a new drama. Nothing was clicking. I dropped a couple of dramas, tried a few from my PTW, and still couldn't find anything that grabbed me. So, with a little help from ChatGPT, I somehow landed here. It wasn't even on my PTW list. I read through the tags, gave it a try, and surprisingly, it hooked me from the very first scene. That chaotic wedding between Thien and Muey immediately made me curious about what kind of ride I had signed up for.

The first three or four episodes were probably the strongest hook for me. Thien doesn't want to marry Muey because he has spent years thinking of her as his little sister, largely because of his mother's influence. But because of family pressure, he ends up marrying her, while also trying to escape his ex and her gangster husband. Meanwhile, Muey has loved Thien since she was a teenager and doesn't really ask for much. More than anything, she just wants to spend some happy moments with the man she has loved for years. She tolerates A LOT from him, even though he can be excessively rude to her. Surprisingly, I didn't mind it as much as I expected because there was something entertaining about watching this completely one-sided situation slowly change. Thien keeps insisting that Muey is like a sister to him, while his own behaviour constantly contradicts that idea. He gets jealous of Kob several times, even before admitting to himself that he has feelings for Muey. His brain simply refuses to connect the dots.

Then came the hacking arc, and this was where things became much more complicated for me. Suddenly, Muey becomes a genius hacker and breaks into Thien's company, despite the drama giving us almost no indication beforehand that she had these kinds of skills. It honestly felt like, "We need another conflict, so let's make Muey a hacker." I didn't hate the storyline itself as much as I disliked how abruptly it appeared. There was no proper foundation for it, so it felt completely disconnected from the character we had been watching. This was also the point where Muey started feeling a little creepy and stalker-ish to me. The whole situation made me uncomfortable, and then somehow the story moved forward without giving that arc the proper closure I expected. Instead, everyone starts blaming Thien for treating Muey badly and for not loving her simply because she loves him. I could understand why Muey was hurt, but I couldn't completely get behind the way the drama handled the situation.

Then we move into the Dawei arc, and I had another problem because the previous conflict didn't feel properly resolved before the next major storyline started. Muey goes back to pursuing Thien, repeatedly telling him that she will make him fall in love with her and doing everything possible to win him over. Eventually, she succeeds, but once she finally has what she wanted, she becomes insecure. Instead of communicating properly, both of them start making decisions for each other. Muey basically pushes Thien away, and later becomes angry that he disappeared from her life, even though she was the one who asked for a divorce. Thien, meanwhile, decides what is best for her without actually talking to her. This was probably my biggest frustration with their relationship. They both kept making decisions based on assumptions instead of simply talking to each other.

I have seen reviews where people complain that Muey changes her mind too much, especially when Thien finally wants to be with her and she doesn't immediately accept him. But I actually understand her hesitation. The problem is that Thien never properly tells her how he feels. He is arrogant, emotionally repressed and terrible at communicating his feelings. He wants Muey to understand him and follow his lead, but he doesn't actually give her the reassurance she needs. His teasing and indirect behaviour might have worked during the early marriage phase, but by the Myanmar phase, Muey is already completely convinced that he doesn't love her and never will. At that point, teasing isn't enough. She needs reassurance, and Thien doesn't give it to her. Then, after discovering everything Muey has done for him, he unilaterally decides that he needs to leave her without properly discussing it with her. So honestly, I completely understood why she struggled to accept him later.

The noble-idiocy and pregnancy phase was actually enjoyable for me in one particular way. FINALLY, Thien had to work for it. After spending so much time watching Muey chase him, it was satisfying to see the roles reverse. We finally get to see him chase after her, beg her, openly show affection and actually try to prove that he loves her. That was a huge change from the man we saw earlier. I could have done without the kidney drama, though. I understand what the writers were trying to accomplish by showing that Thien would risk everything for Muey and that his feelings had completely changed, but I think they could have found a better and more meaningful way to show that. Still, it worked emotionally to some degree.

Unfortunately, there is one storyline I simply cannot overlook. Honestly, I was able to tolerate a lot of uncomfortable and borderline unethical things because I understood that this was a melodramatic lakorn and adjusted my expectations accordingly. But once the drama shows Thien getting Muey drunk so that he can have sex with her and she cannot later use it as a reason to divorce him, I was done. That was not something I could excuse simply because the story eventually gave them a happy ending. I couldn't really like the drama in the same way after that, and I couldn't take their romance seriously anymore. For me, there are certain lines a story can cross where the later romantic payoff doesn't erase what happened before.

That said, the actors themselves gave some really good performances. The acting is actually pretty good all around for a lakorn, and Mark and Mew especially are a big reason I didn't drop the drama. They weren't given particularly likable characters to play, yet their charisma shines through and makes the drama much more tolerable. Mark is so handsome and adorable in a non-cold way, even when Thien is acting like an ass. Mew is incredibly lovable even though Muey's character can be over-the-top and extremely self-sacrificing in the name of love. I also think they have good chemistry and some great acting moments together. I just wish they had been given more genuinely cute and fluffy scenes as a couple, and I definitely wanted better kisses.

I could understand the basic concept of their relationship because Thien had been conditioned to see Muey as a younger sister figure, while Muey had loved him for years. But the transition from that dynamic into a believable romantic relationship wasn't always convincing to me. The biggest problem wasn't really Muey's feelings. It was their inability to communicate those feelings properly.

One thing I really appreciated was that almost every character had a strong role in the story. Thien's mother was probably my favourite. She was hilarious and constantly made me laugh. Even when the main storyline became frustrating, her scenes often brought some much-needed entertainment. The supporting characters also weren't simply standing around waiting for the leads to finish their story. They had their own motivations, conflicts and relationships.

The supporting romances, however, felt like wasted potential to me. Why introduce these storylines if you're not going to properly develop them? There was enough runtime to give some of these characters more meaningful romantic journeys instead of throwing in random developments. I really didn't understand why we needed to spend so much time on Ms. Accountant's new occupation or why we needed the reveal involving the real Chet. I would much rather have seen more of the actual romantic journeys of the supporting couples, or not had those storylines at all. Yada and Pondech especially seemed much more interesting to me. I wanted to know more about their backgrounds, how their relationship started and what brought them together, instead of repeatedly watching difficult and violent scenes.

The abusive relationship between Pondech and his wife was particularly disturbing. He treated her horribly, almost like a rag doll, and he was genuinely vile. His hatred toward Thien adds another layer because Thien had previously slept with his wife without knowing she was married, and Pondech becomes determined to destroy him. He even comes close to ending Thien's life. The storyline was intense, but I still think the drama could have used its runtime much better.

One thing this drama definitely taught me is what to expect from a lakorn. This is only my third Thai lakorn, so I'm still figuring out the genre. I quickly learned that you can have a contract marriage, childhood unrequited love, gangster ex-husbands, company drama, international construction projects, hacking, pregnancy, kidney drama, murder attempts and several completely random plot developments all in the same story. And somehow, you're just expected to go along with it. Normally, I would probably be much more annoyed by that, but My Husband in Law was entertaining enough that I kept watching anyway.

I also really liked the cinematography. The Myanmar locations were beautiful, and the construction arc gave the drama a refreshing visual change from the usual office and domestic settings. The drama generally looked good, and the different locations helped keep the long runtime from feeling visually repetitive.

One thing I really loved about the drama was the poetry. There were quite a few poetic lines and expressions that caught my attention, and I honestly wished the translations had preserved more of that poetic feeling instead of giving us such direct, literal translations. I would have loved to understand those lines in a more poetic way, because I think a lot of the emotion and beauty gets lost when poetry is translated too literally.

This was definitely not a perfect drama for me. I had A LOT of problems with the writing, especially the lack of communication, abrupt plot developments, questionable decisions, the hacking storyline, the wasted potential in some of the supporting romances, and most importantly, the non-consensual sex scene. And yet, I still binge-watched it. I watched the first 11 episodes almost in one sitting. For a C-drama watcher, even 1.5-hour episodes are long, and sometimes even a one-hour K-drama can feel long to me. Yet somehow, My Husband in Law kept me entertained enough to continue.

The early marriage and Myanmar construction phases were easily my favourite parts. They had the perfect combination of romance, comedy, family dynamics and ridiculous situations. The Myanmar arc in particular had so many laugh-out-loud moments, and watching Muey use every cringe-worthy method possible to flirt with Thien was genuinely fun. Thien's reactions were priceless, especially because he was clearly affected by her even while refusing to admit it.

The later parts became much more draggy, and once the leads finally got together, the story lost some of the fun that originally kept me hooked. So despite all my complaints, I can't say I regret watching it. It was chaotic, frustrating, entertaining, sometimes uncomfortable and occasionally completely ridiculous. Maybe that's exactly what I needed after struggling to find my next drama after To the Moon and Back.

As my third lakorn, it definitely gave me a better idea of what I can expect from the genre. I'm still not sure My Husband in Law completely worked for me as a romance, especially because of some choices I simply couldn't overlook, but it certainly kept me watching. It was a messy, over-the-top and sometimes problematic ride that I somehow had far too much fun binge-watching.

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Not liked much

Starting was good both leads look adorable together. Story stretched the office spy story much that made the drama little boring for me . Afterward their love story was come into track but she tried to push him away from her and he didn't want to give up then something happened and he decided to give her space and left her with a note so she searched for him and when he came back so she was not ready to meet him and the reason she gave him that she wanted to separate with him because to make him realise what he want from his life ,he really love her or not and it was two years separation where he left without inform just disappeared from her life that's why she angered from him but he melts her anger and they happily married ever after . at some point I found the story is boring .

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A drama trying to do too much and wasted the amazing acting of the leads

I was attracted to “My Husband in Law” due to the plot of fake/contract marriage. I am a sucker for it and thought it would be a fun rom-com with a pair of good-looking leads with great chemistry. Well, I was partially right.

What I Like:

Mark + Mew
The best part about this drama is our lead actors, Mark and New. They have amazing chemistry and the acting is great. Actually, the acting is pretty good all-around for a lakorn. But Mark and Mew especially, are the reason I did not drop this drama. They were not given likable characters to play, yet their charisma shines through and makes this drama tolerable. Mark is so handsome, so adorable in a non-cold way even when he was acting like an ass. Mew is so lovable even though her character is over-the-top and self-sacrificing in the name of love. I wish there are more cute and fluffy scenes of them together, and the kisses are better.

Muey/Female Lead’s development
I’m glad to see how Muey has grown from a lovesick fan girl, to a woman who is clear-headed enough to recognize the true love is. Not gonna lie, it was hard to like the lakorn-version of how Muey is written with over-the-topness, obsessiveness and love blindness towards Thian. But in the end, I cheer for her for finally standing up to Thian, and her honest conversation to enlighten Thian of what true love is.



What I Don’t Like:

Plot
“My Husband in Law” started off really fun in the first 3-4 episodes. It was just the rom-com I needed and expected. But once the hacking plot starts, the drama goes downhill. Instead of a rom-com, it becomes a business drama + gang/revenge/crime drama + melodrama. It somehow cannot just pick one or two and stick with it. This drama has an identity crisis.

Pacing
The pacing is also off. This drama really doesn’t need 15 very long episodes (1 hr 40 mins each is too long). It should end at ep 13ish, and have them live happily ever after. We really don’t need the introduction of another crisis in the second to the second to last episode. Despite having so many craziness happens in the drama, I still feel it drags and is repetitive with flashbacks.

Thian/Male Lead
As much as I adore Mark, his character is very unlikable and hard to root for. Yes, deep down Thian might not be a bad person and really does care and like FL. But man, he has trouble using the appropriate method to express this care and concern. He’s done so many mean things and is such a bully at home and at work. Of course there’s character development in the end, but it happens very slowly and you have to be very patient to see him finally change and recognize his shortcomings.

Supporting Romance
Why introduce them when you don’t properly execute the storylines? There’s so much time!! Is it really necessary to show the new (ridiculous) occupation of Ms. Accountant? Is it really necessary to show us the real Chet in the end? I’d rather see more of their romantic journey, or not show anything at all. Yada and Pondech seem so much more interesting and I want to know more about their background and how their relationship started, instead of the repeatedly hard to watch scenes of violence.


Unfortunately, this is not the drama for me. If you are a regular lakorn watcher, you will probably like this more than me. I wish the plot was simpler and written better, and the pacing was quicker with fewer episodes. At least I was introduced to the fabulous Mark, and I hope to watch him in another drama with a better story.

Completed: 10/6/2024 - Review #495

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You'll love it!!

If you're a human being, you'll love this drama so much.

It's so good. So good. After watching 3 episodes, i felt like i just went through a whole rollercoaster of emotions.

The main leads were meant to be in this drama. They have the chemistry, humor and the sexual tensions that's right in the borderline of PG and R rated film.

Main lead girl is the most adorable character ever. She's not your typical pretty and cute girl. She's actually awkward, weird, funny, a day dreamer but also a very hard worker, caring person and will do anything for the people she loves.

The main lead guy seems obnoxious and a jerk at times (for literally 5 mins tops) but he's actually an adorable guy that cares a lot for the main girl. He doesn't realize it but he truly cares for her and secretly takes care of her.

By the way, the two main leads are very good looking people who makes your eyes get glued to the screen.

The comedy was well put together and had me laughing uncontrollably. Especially the main lead girl had me cracking up everytime.

This is the first Thailand drama that had me laughing hysterically like a crazy person.

I'm still watching this drama at the moment but i sincerely and strongly recommend this drama. Trust me! With my 12 years experience of watching kdramas, Philippine dramas, chinese, japanese and now thailand dramas. I guarantee i know a good drama when i see one.

I'll be updating this review as soon as i finish watching it. For now, HAPPY WATCHING !

:)

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Made my heart flutter

Likes: From the playful teasing to hurtful outbursts to the stolen sweet glances to the realization of love, this drama gave me major feels. I couldn't get enough of Mark Prin as the bad boy. Seriously. Not. Enough.

Dislikes: Ok, so maybe at times the ML was too much of a bad boy and there were scenes that slightly crossed the line into questionable territory that could potentially make viewers uncomfortable, so those parts, I wished the director handled a bit better.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this drama! I'm not gonna lie though, a lot of that has to do with me crushin hard on the ML. I've never watched a Thai drama before and didn't know who Mark Prin was, but now, believe me, I've taken notice! His boyish good looks and natural ease around women makes him perfect as the bad boy Thien. I loved that they didn't shy away from showing real affection in this drama. I'm so tired of the cliche skinship moments so I was thrilled that the skinship in this drama felt like an after thought. Your body just moves instinctively when you want to be close to someone (manner hands be damned!). The kisses though were a bit too toned down.

The FL was good too. A lot of 2nd hand embarrassment in the beginning, but those moments also made me laugh. I could have used a little less love stricken expressions though. The push/pull dynamic between the OTP was addicting, but there were definite times where I couldn't follow the emotional progression of the characters. I'm not sure if that's because the subs were bad, but there were times where things progressed and then suddenly regressed without a good reason. And it didn't make sense why some misunderstandings weren't cleared up, but I didn't mind too much as it lead to more push/pulling. I would totally watch this again as I just loved the chemistry between the leads.

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My Taste in Romantic Drama Becomes Higher Because of this Drama

And here goes my FIRST review on MDL.

Honestly, I can’t put my feelings for this drama into words. It’s just PERFECT.

Oh well I was overboard. Sure, it’s not perfect in terms of the plot. The story seemed to have lost the point midway. There was a time when I went “what? Why are they like this? What’s happening? It’s not supposed to be like this!”

BUT the final episode, I’m telling you, is the best final episode of all dramas’ final ones. All kinds of emotions got the best of me. It was like I forgot what happened before that.

Although I still think this review is not enough to put my feelings into words, I want to thank the production team, especially the writer and the director. Thank you for making my life brighter with this AMAZING drama, especially during this overwhelming year of 2020. It has a special place in my heart. I can never look at other romance dramas the same as I look at this one. :’)

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Worth your time. Just awesome.

I was never really into lakorn, I only finished two out of my love for the leads but other times i dropped the show.
This proved me wrong. God... oh my God... this show is so good, I watched without any expectation, being completely new to the cast. And by now... i am a huge fan of the lead actors, especially Mark. He portrayed Thien so well, I always love subtle acting. I found it more appealing and moving than the grand gesture of showing off emotions, more sincere, and Mark is so good in micro expressions.
And Nittha has one of the best smile! I love Moey, she is not a candy or naively in love lady, she has both heart and brain. The way she gave without expecting any is so beautiful.
I think this show is just effortlessly charted in my personal fave's list, the show i will rewatch all over again in the future. This show gave me a massive heartbreak but in the end of the day... made me feel good in so many ways. Hats off.

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What started as a cute and fluffy romance became a remarkable love story to remember.

This drama is my second Thai Lakorn after Kleun Cheewit. Both by Mark Prin and I have to say, though he is a narcissistic douche bag in both, you can't help but fall in love with him.
so what makes this drama so remarkable? For me, it is the character development.
Never in my history of watching Asian dramas have I encountered a drama with such impeccable character development, the best part is that it came from every character. though the bad guys were punished as they deserved.
The male lead, though his came a bit late was able to overcome his fears and reach a certain point of maturity that I'm glad the author gave. The same goes for the female lead as she discovered that love is not meant to be one sided.
Love to Cleopatra and Miss Thailand for their amazing performances, and P'Chet who I loved so much.
The person with the greatest character development in this drama was non other than our beautiful and outstanding second female lead, Yada. As we know, it is very common for the scorned second female lead to have her world centered around the male lead, which I feel is a very problematic and narcissistic thing to do. She is either an annoying ex, an irritating childhood sweetheart, or a past entanglement who just cant seem to let go. Yada however broke this stereotype because she didn't center her life around the male lead, she developed herself in the most beautiful of ways. (You will learn this when you watch the drama)

Overview: This drama is very captivating at the beginning and you'll love it so much. It gets kind of draggy at episode 9 and I was literally about to drop it, but I didn't and I love my decision to continue. Not many people will be happy with the occurrence towards the end (which some people described as messy - I don't think so anyways), but these things were what made me love the drama the most. It felt like I was sitting right beside the author of the manga and for the first time, I cried for a drama and not just a tear or two, but I was literally wailing.

The music was amazing, especially Mark Prin's cover of Yesterday by Slot Machine. Very beautiful song and I totally recommend you listen to it with translations if you do not understand Thai like me.

The acting was top-notch. From the main leads, to the support roles and even the villains (Pondayt really slayed the role of abusive husband perfectly, you could literally see the evil in his eyes, you wont even remember that he's acting). The emotions were beautifully portrayed, especially at the end by Mark Prin. Our darling Mew also did an amazing job.
The chemistry in this drama wasn't lacking at all, it had all the elements together and managed to not end up as a slap and kiss. Thank the author and drama lords for that.

Not many people may have the attachment I had to this drama, but if there is one thing I know, its that this is by far the best Asian drama I have set my eyes on. it beats everything because it had everything I was looking for in a drama.
So good job Author, actors and crew, and good-luck viewers. Enjoy the rollercoaster because the end is most satisfying.

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