✌ The Goose & the Gander's Warminuous Family ✋️ °7.9° °Excellent°
Maybe a good test of how strong a family is would be a week's vacation in which it rains every day. If it's still a good time, y’all are doing great❕ This family is broken down. They couldn't handle a lite misting. Dad is never home. He either drives a truck or hikes trails. The sisters don't speak to e/o (‘If words could kill, my sister would be a serial killer,’ notes Hee), and they treat Lil bro like an annoying waiter. They were able to ignore their problems until Mom announces she's separating from dad. Weirdly, she calls it “graduating from marriage.“ Secrets come out. Years of misunderstandings create new wounds. Dad is not what mom had built him up to be in her head. “The problems in our family are like forgotten boxes piled up in storage. The door was opened, and the baggage started falling out all at once,” we hear. That's the plot of MUF, a 2020 release that is rated 84 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. They drop a small bomb at the close of ep2. They do it again at the close of ep3. Like Hee says, "This kind of story is all in the details.“Speaking of love & marriage, oldest sis Joo keeps separate rooms from her husband, and middle sis, Hee, broke up with her long-term bf - the hard way: After 9 years of dating him, his gf of THREE YEARS confronts her and calls HER a cheater😲! Han Ye Ri (The Nokdu Flower) plays Kim Eun “Hee”. What's off about Hee's look? The moment she appears in a black and red top sporting some red lipstick it's obvious that the light colors and pastels they've had her in for 90% of the show is dead wrong. One can't turn fall into spring and that's what they tried to do. Ms Han would be even prettier if she softened her hairstyle with a side part or some wispy bangs. In the last scene, she does! But for the run of the show, Hee's a bit of a mess. Always late. Takes her anger out on the wrong targets. Frequently immature and confused. She gets confused around Im Geon Joo (Shin Dong Wook from Stars Falling From the Sky & Dr. Romantic); he's her new boss. Hee feels things deeply. She's a reader - such a reader that she works in publishing, and new boss & VP says her books are the BEST🎖. Apparently, he came to their office already a fan of hers. Hee, in a weakened state from her break-up, made the mistake of having a one night stand with new-boss. She'll go to Hyuk in a panic.
Joo (Choo Ja Hyun from Arthdal Chronicles) is married to Yoon Tae-Hyeong (Kim Tae-Hoon from My Demon and The Guardians) who is described as “sensitive”. Their marriage seems lifeless and, after years of trying, Joo has given up the idea of pregnancy. She's irritatingly “bad at being bad”. She keeps everything under wraps; her feelings are in a pressure cooker. She's an attorney, by vocation. Given her coldly logical and matter-of-fact personality, there's little else she's qualified for, other than bureaucrat. (Joo finally cracks a smile in ep15. I had given up hope). These sisters are nothing alike and frequently contentious. Yet they are alike. They often say the same things to their parents (Joo always calls dad and Hee always calls mom) and they spout identical phrases in arguments. When Lil bro, Ji-woo (Shin Jae Ha from Evilive), tries to intervene, it's: “Yes, yes. Let's crush him to pieces,” Hee agrees, when Joo says they need to teach him a lesson. They turn on him and attack him together, speaking the same words in unison.
Kim Ji Suk as Park Chan “Hyuk” is the only cast I've seen before (When the Camellia Blooms-8, in which he plays a clueless jock). Here he's genuine, affable, which is completely different. He accuses Hee of using him like a trash can, as she tells him things that she can't tell anyone else, just to get them off her chest. This trash can sorts: “So.. you must be worried: What if I run into him at work on Monday? Should I just quit over the weekend? Should I be cool and ignore him? No, what if he spreads gossip everywhere? (Exactly) What if he doesn't even remember it? (You're having fun, aren't you? ) Anyway, just forget about it. If it spreads, so what? Just be embarrassed. Time goes on. If something bigger happens it'll be forgotten soon.” That's his advice, along with Hee's interjections, in the aftermath of the tryst with new-boss. Romance is a part of the show, but it is a family drama first. We see self-sabotage between Hee and Hyuk. They are attracted to e/o and both try to kill it before it grows.
Baek Hyun-Joo (The King's Affection-8.3 & The King: Eternal Monarch-8) has a small part but she's refreshing & her presence feels completely natural. Kwon Yul (Dali and the Cocky Prince) is a character that reemerges in Joo’s life after her marriage falls apart. He's utterly adorable and completely hilarious. In ep9 we get a cameo from two actors who play a couple in Familiar Wife-8.5: Oh Eui-Sik & Park Hee-Von. This is screenwriter Kim Eun Jung-'s high water mark. Next is Hello, Brother. Director Kwon Young Il also brought us Doom at Your Service.
The words ‘family ‘ & ‘familiar’ share the same root, and we all know what familiarity breeds. “What is family?” That is how ep15 closes - without an answer, just a “I still don't know.” I'm reminded of a funny toast from the show Call It Love-8.4: ‘It's good to be gathered with you all - You who trust me least in this world, but cherish me most.’ Another protag's view: “Do you know what the problem with family is? They don't say what they have to say. They let it settle until it hardens when they can just shake it off. Then suddenly, it explodes one day.” But some memories (and hurts) can't be shaken off. When Hee breaks up with her bf, she explodes at her sister (who wasn't sympathetic) and Hyuk (he knew but didn't tell her). She cut ties with them for years. Hee used them as trash cans for her rage. It's emotional cannibalism. In ep1 their relationships resume. In time, Hee will say this to Joo: “I came to see you every time something happened. And every time I did that, you never comforted me. I know that so well, so why do I always think of you? The words of comfort are sweet for a short moment, but your hurtful words, disgusting words, and critical words make me react to them a few days later, and give me strength to get back up.”
It always starts with the parents. In the beginning of the show, Dad goes missing and ends up falling and contracting amnesia, a device that is too common, but in this case it is used effectively. Dad thinks he's 22 again. He's acting like he and mom are dating - and he's super INTO her. He's completely forgotten the long years of small insults and petty denials that cooled their love. Dad is young and in love again. Mom is beside herself! The beginning of the show is getting to know the players, their perspectives, and their assumptions, which taint everything they see and hear. We will then learn the truth of things. Then the healing can begin.
In his many “counseling“ sessions with Hee, Hyuk is the one that tells us what the writer is trying to communicate. “A scientist said that we know more about the materials in the solar system than the materials inside the earth. We think that there's no need to learn about Earth since we live on it. That's how families are.” Family members know plenty - they just don't care to understand. “Family members know the weak point that others can't see so well. They can always strike a hard blow whenever they want.”
Secrets. Going solo. Miscommunication. Wrong assumptions. Horribly wrong assumptions. Slowly, characters begin to realize: “I don't know my family.” They don't know themselves, either. “I didn't know I was this petty.” “You aren't petty… you're only like that to your sister,” Hyuk expounds. “I'm sure you want me to be brave and honest, and not do things… slowly… If a human being lives his or her life in such a just and honest way all the time, the heart can't handle it and explodes. So you need to make excuses from time to time. Use tricks when you can't help it. And realize that you're cowardly and repent. This is the way to make your heart handle things.”
Anger and family. Family and bitterness. Treating family with the contempt of impossible standards and using them as targets for our misdirected anger - these are the themes. I've taken to calling this social and emotional cannibalism. We keep our eyes lateral and lash out at other's expense. We should keep our eyes focused upward on the highest standards. Anger turns into unforgiveness which hardens into bitterness. It is, as the adage goes, like drinking poison and expecting someone else to get sick - it only hurts us. The best time to forgive is right away, before it solidifies into an insurmountable obstacle. Forgiveness is releasing ourselves from a burden. It is letting go of the anger and sourness that consumes us and steals our joie de vie, our joy of life. I call it leveling-up.To level-up, a person needs to let go of pride. Our anger often stems from our pride being dinged. Instead of looking at relationships horizontally, endlessly comparing ourselves and feeling superior or inferior, level-up into a higher form of life. Don't step on other's heads to advance yourself. Try to bring along others when you advance.
Now, back to problem parents: Mom and dad had become 2 strangers under one roof over the years. Dad held on to mom's ex more than she did! His jealousy (born from pride) corrupted the marriage. Joo has a different father, though none of the kids know that. It comes out that Dad had many temper tantrums over the years because he felt inadequate. We'll learn this began when he overheard people gossiping at the wedding. Gossip is a horrible habit. Why does a person get pleasure from it? The basis of gossip is pride. We love to feel better than other people by comparison and, thus, we enjoy other people's misery. Here, it ended up tearing a family apart for years.
“People say a biological parent doesn't matter at my age. Divorce doesn't matter at my age. Should anything matter at my age? What does my age have to do with anything?” The scene where dad talks to Joo about how he felt about her, even before she was born, is precious. Who is her real father? It's always bothered me that adopted kids often go find their bio parents and forget all about the people that put years of work, money, sacrifice and emotion into them. No one can fault a person for finding their family by blood, but it must be heartbreaking for the parents who get left behind. There is no perfect parent, and it's human to fantasize about the parent who isn't there. What we construct in our head is always better than what flesh and blood people are capable of. The ones who put in the work, the ones who put out for the child, will always be the parents. Love multiplies as we give it out; it doesn't run out. Joo sruggles with this and starts to go solo ~ Just like the rest of the family ~ She's showing her common DNA.
“There was a time when there was only the two of us in the world, and we were everything to eachother,” Mom dolefully recalls. M&D allowed little hurts to fester unresolved. It led to more misunderstandings and then, Mom admits, she deliberately left some things unresolved out of spite. Mom and Dad deconstruct their marriage and what went wrong. Their angst was over a whole lot of nothing. Plenty of divorces have happened that way. Some divorces are for the best, but many aren't. Soon, it's: “Mom is having a fling!” Even though Mom and Dad have separated, they have to keep meeting up over this situation or that predicament. They end up unwittingly dating. “I saw young people drinking this and I wanted to try it too”, Dad says, as he hands her a drink. Dad's actually arranged to meet her at popular dating sites he's found online. ‘I don't know why everybody here is young…😅” It gets very cute. Even cuter is how Ji-woo, who still lives at home, figures out that his mother must be dating someone. There's flowers and vases, and tags for new clothing & Mom's out a lot.
“I thought my family was normal, but we're not.” Idk what normal is. Much of human behavior follows patterns, but “normal” seems to be 85% phoniness. Finding the right mix of individualism and compromising enough to fit in (don't lie, steal, cheat, do wash regularly and wear clean clothes) is an art. People who level up won't squash their personality down to nothing to fit in with or attempt to impress others. That is enslavement. The crowd is so rarely in the right it is truly a false flare. Don't let the crowd enslave you. Be warned, they might hate you for your freedom. It's a good way to sort out who is genuine.
Another theme is being gay in a society that is intolerant of it. A character leads a double life while he tries to balance his family (in denial) marriage (a lie) and work (his reputation would be ruined). He's miserable. Everyone around him is miserable, too. No matter our personal feelings or religious leanings, there is no call to persecute others or cause such pain. The only reason people are so cruel is because of pride. Ironically, a superior human will be humble and show compassion and love. Those things are never wrong. Condemning others while never taking a moment to try and see things from their perspective is always wrong. Always. The show also features a sexual assault survivor & the trauma that she's experiencing. Asia is notoriously male dominated. Such an imbalance leads to lack of respect, abuse, and general mistreatment of a group.
MUF is amusing in its apt portrayal of diverse personalities trying to keep their familial relationships afloat. “Nevermind. Let's just try to understand this separately. Things will get worse if we try to convince each other. I have no energy.” 😅 I like the way the writer put that. I intend to steal it immediately. In all, this is excellently acted and written. It's insightful and well worth the time.
QUOTES📢
These things happen.
Bad hunches always come true.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8.2 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓5 🦋4.5 🎨6.5 🎵/🔊7 🔚8.2 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡2.5 😅3.5 😭3 😱2 😯2 🤢2 🤔6 💤0
Age 15+ It's mostly tame but there's one night stands and unexpected pregnancy issues along with other adult sexual situations. Rated TV-15
Re-📺? It is possible
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ here are some other family-centered dramas:
Modern Day -
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9
Racket Boys-8.3
The Bros7.1
Reply 1988
Move To Heaven 8
Minari
My Liberation Diary 8.9
Call It Love 8.4
HeirsMine 8.1
One Spring Night 7.8
Something in the rain 8.6
When the Weather is Fine 9
Mother 8.8
Historical/Period -
Saimdang 8.5,
Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance 7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers 8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek 7,
Heirs 7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows 7,
Something in the Rain 9,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
You are my destiny 6.8 cute, sweet & 1/2 padding,
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5,
Find Yourself 8.9
Consider a Chinese 🎎/🔮 romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5
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Not liking the ensemble.... no chemistry
Except for Kim Ji Seok and Jeong Jin Yeong, I have never seen the other lead characters.I started this because I saw great reviews for it but right now, I'm not sure if I want to continue it. Frankly, the main reason would be the sisters. Find them both boring actually. The eldest has a monotone expression as well as in her line delivery. The second daughter, well, I am not liking her visuals. She also comes off as trying hard in her acting. For me, it would be better to cast someone else. Sorry, to her fans, but she is an eyesore for me and she would be the main reason I would not continue this drama.
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Great Realistic Drama Ever
I thought that this was a family drama with 100++ episodes, but it's only 16 episodes. The first episode is interesting. Their acting are great and i really love the cast. I've missed Han Ye Ri since age of youth also Kim Ji Seok since Camelia. The story is so relatable to our real life and maybe some of family have this kind of relationship. The plot is clear and u can understand it easily but it doesn't make this boring. Each characters of the family have their own interesting story and they're well delivered. It has captivated me since the first minutes. So, I recommend you to watch this if u'r contemplating to watch it or not. I'm extremely excited for this drama. Now, i have 4 on going dramas on mon/tue hahah.Was this review helpful to you?
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la famille est le terreau des bonnes histoires...
ce que j'en ai pensé ?Beaucoup de bien ! J’ai vraiment apprécié qu’on échappe au défaut de ce genre de drama familial : le côté bisounours, où même si on se querelle un peu il y a une belle chaleur familiale ! Pas ici ! Le réalisme du délitement de cette famille, sans tomber dans le mélo larmoyant ou l’excès de violence (violence conjugale, viol ou inceste…) est quand même assez amer tout en restant dans le banal du quotidien. L’accident du père va amener la rupture des couches de non-dits et de secrets, et les personnages se libèreront par à peu de ce carcan qu’ils ont eux mêmes créés. Car on le sait, si les personnages de drama apprenaient à communiquer entre eux, tout s’arrangerait…mais y aurait pas de drama !
Le talent du scénariste réside en sa capacité à créer ce climat de non-communication en le rendant crédible par la personnalité des personnages. Ici, au vu des origines des parents et des circonstances de leur mariage, il n’est pas étonnant que leurs deux vies se soient peu à peu réduites à des chemins parallèles sans croisement !
Parallèlement aux parents, il y a le couple de la fille aînée, très intéressant, car il aborde le sujet de l’homosexualité d’une façon bien plus ouverte et réaliste, que je vois pour la première fois dans un drama. Il y a aussi la seconde fille, ses hésitations amoureuses, son amitié avec Chan Hyeok, (quine voudrait l’avoir comme ami ?)Le sujet de l’enfant illégitime est aussi abordé, avec les injustices et la dureté que les traditions imposent. Il y a aussi le dernier garçon, peinant à sortir de l’adolescence, apprenant à ses dépens à ne pas faire confiance aveuglément et que la famille, finalement, ce n’est pas si mal pour panser les blessures !
J’ai suivi avec un intérêt croissant l’évolution, une sorte de réveil, de tous ces gens, chacun à leur manière, pas forcément toujours sympathique, parfois dure et d’une froideur cruelle, et si la fin est juste et belle, elle n’est ni mièvre, ni cucul.
Un mot des acteurs : excellents, particulièrement le père, Jun Jin Young, qui donne une vraie crédibilité à un personnage difficile, rugueux, mais profondément humain. La mère, Won Mi Kyung, incarne avec justesse une femme qui a bâti une cuirasse, mais qui au fond ne demande qu’à la laisser se fendre.
Les trois enfants, le mari de la fille aînée, et les autres sont parfaits également ! Une mention particulière à Kim Ji Suk, excellentissime dans son personnage, sincère, drôle, fort, lucide, fidèle… Comme dit plus haut, l’ami parfait ! Et plus si affinité ! Je l’avais remarqué dans Chuno, et aussi dans Rebel, où il avait su donner à un roi légèrement timbré une vérité frappante.
Je ne dirai rien de la musique : je ne l’ai pas remarquée, donc elle doit être très bien, et je ne me souviens pas de chansons autres que celles nécessaires à l’histoire !
Au final, c’est un drama que je recommande fortement, sauf si vous ne recherchez que la romance sucrée !
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Il pregio è far vedere come la storia, seppure imperfetta, di un giovane uomo e una giovane donna da cui parte la famiglia, è come una sorta di incontro di box ... per quante volte tu finisca a tappeto ... per quanti errori tu, o gli altri, abbiate commesso, la forza del bene desiderato per l'altro è capace di farti rialzare sempre.
Di ridarti vita e speranza, calore e protezione.
Avrei dato 10 se non fosse che la sceneggiatura a tratti è incongruente o evidenzia limiti legati alle radici culturali della Corea, quindi perde l'universalità del capolavoro letterario che parla al cuore dell'uomo, sia esso europeo o asiatico o africano.
Inoltre l'espediente di riprendere in toto parti di film già viste, mi infastidisce.
Comunque ne consiglio la visione.
E' un gioiellino
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