Love in Sadness

Love in Sadness is one of those dramas that will lure you in making you want more and more as you get deeper into the story. Throughout the entire 40 episodes many different topics are hit including deep ones like obsessiveness, abuse, cheating & heartbreak. The main character Ma Ri is shown throughout the series as a weak woman but throughout the story she learns how to deal with everything causing her to evolve into a strong woman that her friends wanted her to be. Her husband Kang In Wook although a little psychotic/obsessive you will in the end start too feel some sympathy ( just a tad & the ending will hit you hard) after you learn his backstory of why he is like this. The surgeon's Seo Jung Won was a wonderful addition too since he brings out the best in Ma Ri and will do anything for her. You will learn to hate some of the side characters in this story due to their actions and in the end I still don't understand why some of them did what they did to the others but it happens in plots like this. The acting in this was amazing especially Ryu Soo Young's he did a great job portraying Ma Ri's husband and his obsessiveness. The music was okay at certain parts it didn't really resonate with me since I was more interested in the story. There is a slight rewatch value to this drama due to the emotional value but once you watch it you'll know everything that already happens so it wont be as strong.

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This drama started off with such promise and potential but it eventually lost its steam.

What do I mean by this? In the beginning everything seemed ordered and to have a definitive direction. For about the second half of the show, I began to notice flaws, plot holes, and poor writing. The actors for the most part did a fantastic job and brought these characters to life. What I think is at fault here is the writing.

Actor Ryu Soo Young did such a fantastic job and I can't say this enough. In no way do I endorse his character, Kang In Wook and his behavior but I feel that this actor did the best job. This man deserves an award!!

Some things I would have liked to see were:
- Yoon Ma Ri with some strength, confidence and empowerment. I feel like an opportunity was missed here! Park Han Byul and Park Ha Na did a good job portraying her but I feel like there was no character development. To add insult to injury, there were moments where she made some seriously questionable decisions. This character clearly could have been more well written.
- More screen time with Woo Ha Kyung. For some reason I really liked this character because she was interesting and a perfect foil to Ma Ri. I wish they would have explored her backstory a bit more.

One final thing I will say is that the screenwriters could have made some smart choices in the writing of the script. Yes, they gave us a handsome hero, a damsel in distress, and a truly malevolent villain but it would have been a more attractive prospect for Ma Ri to find her own strength. I think she relied too much on the men around her.

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