Thirty-Nine

Don't be fooled by the cast or ratings

I'm going to start off by saying that I think the rating for this drama is higher than it deserves & is high because of the great acting, which was the saving grace of the drama & part of the reason why I didn't drop it (the other reason being that I had nothing else to watch while it was airing.)

I think most of us thought that this was going to be a nice drama full of fun moments between the three friends & that wasn't what we got (though that isn't the reason why I feel the way I do about this drama). I didn't have a problem with this story being Mijo centric, though I did find her character bland, as she dealt with the sad news about her friend. However, it was off-putting that Joo Hee, who I personally thought was the most interesting character of the three, was pushed aside & that screen time was for Seon Woo & his sister. (I didn't care for that arc at all nor thought that it added anything to the story.)

I would say my biggest issue with this drama was that I wasn't able to feel a connection to the characters, like they were telling me that I should feel sad (or a certain emotion) about what was happening & I didn't feel much (& I'm a sensitive person.) The acting was great but not enough to make me feel for the characters or story. In particular, it was difficult to really feel bad for Chanyoung when they used her illness as a way to justify her actions, including the emotional cheating. (Also, just because Jin Seok's wife was terrible it doesn't make his unfaithfulness okay.) I know some said this drama was showing realistic actions yet sometimes it was over-the-top that it didn't feel realistic. For example, the scene when they broke the window to the bakery & the bakery owner was pretty calm about it once hearing the reason behind it.

This had potential to be good yet the writing & direction fell flat. The start was okay & the ending was decent, but it's not a must watch or something I'd recommend. I don't remember any of the songs used & I had no choice but to give it a 1 for the rewatch value.

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It's 20 stories mashed into one...

The drama was a one big tournament of who had it the worst. Whose misery is worse than the next person? Who should be the saddest? Who is the least fortunate? It was a constant competition where everyone was competing for these misery points. This is the drama's biggest downfall, having a handful of "sad" stories competing against the main story of the trio. It misses up with the emotional direction the characters were meant to carry and shifts the focus outside the scoop of the drama. It was nothing but laughable and disingenuous when a certain character had to react to 2 sad events at once. The problem also extends to the casual relationships of everyone around them. There was simply just too much interference with the main story to make the drama work. Outside of the misery, there were a few romantic plot-lines that didn't have a place but was forced anyway. Mi Jo & Seon Woo had a full romance story along side all of the sadness going around. It wouldn't be much of a problem if it was good but their story and romance was tasteless, uncomfortable, tacky and most importantly, lacking the chemistry, easily the worst part of the drama. The drama was also leaning a bit too much onto throwing in a handful of plot conveniences when it really didn't need to. These instances could've been written naturally and it wouldn't stick out as much. The most obvious example was Seon Woo's introduction and his initial connection to other characters. The drama sure does look pretty and attractive but lacks a defining identity. The main trio were good while the rest of the support cast were okay.

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I'm not crying, my eyes are just teary :")

Even though I cried when watching the story, too bad, this drama isn't written well and it has more cons than pros.

Pros:
1. Okay. The last episode is the best episode. It really makes me cry.
2. This drama really knows how to make the watchers keep watching till the end of the drama.
3. Jeon Mido.

Cons:
1. I don't know it's me who fell asleep when watching it or there's a really big titanic plot hole. One of the examples: The death of someone isn't explained well. Is it death because of an accident or a disease?
2. Unnecessary romance. If only the writer removed the romance aspect and went with a story full of friendship, I believe this drama would be super interesting and touching.
3. Loose plot. I believe this drama can only have 6 episodes with a solid plot instead of 12 loose-plot episodes.
4. Incompleted anti-climax. Bruh, there are a ton of conflicts that don't get solved well, unless this drama has its 2nd season.
5. Because of its loose plot, the drama can be boring in the middle.
6. Glamorous life of its characters doesn't match the theme of this drama. I believe "friendship" + "struggling in life, escaping from poverty" would make a better combination.

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More than just a drama about friendship

This will be a relatively short review because I don’t want to write spoilers and I think reviewers have written most of what is to expect.

Like most reviewers, the friendship shared by the 3 women (main leads) was amazing. I don’t think I’ll be able to find friends like that in my entire life. Their love lives were toned down a lot, as in everything about their love lives was almost smooth-sailing, because this drama was supposed to focus more on their friendship.

For me, such dramas on friendships of a group of main leads would usually just be about their lives plus incidents here and there throughout and it will make up the entire show, so I actually did not expect the loss the main leads had to experience in this drama. Neither the title nor the synopsis gave this idea, but the preparations towards, the sheer overwhelming loss itself, the very believable acting of the main leads and the OST called That’s All sung by Choi Yuri – all of which made my tears literally flowed from episode 2 to the end of the show. I especially liked the ample amount of time given to the preparations of the loss. I think they were portrayed realistically albeit sadly and a reminder to us again that life is short and unpredictable.

The entire vibe of the drama was sad yet very heartwarming because of the heartfelt dialogues and actions between the main leads. I didn’t find this drama slow-paced except one or at most two episodes when nothing new was happening. You would still keep going, nevertheless, because you would want to see the ending despite knowing what would happen - this drama has this charm.

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If you enjoy crying (like I do)

I'm going to be honest, the first episodes had me blown away. The direction the story was taking was something I hadn't experienced before and the acting was so so so good it had my jaw on the floor. Loved how the story revolves around three women in the end of their 30s and how one deals with loss that isn't sudden but breaks you down little by little until it happens. It is definitely a tear-jerker and a melodrama as some would say. If you enjoy crying as much as me (and cry as easily) I think this drama has a lot to give as it never becomes overbearing. The acting is so good it sometimes felt like I was watching real people, not actors.

Yet some of the cast was better than others (blown away especially by the actors who played Chanyoung and Jinseok) and the sub-plots I didn't find as engaging or interesting. Nor did I really feel the romance between our main character and her love interest. I'm glad it's only 12 episodes so that the story doesn't get dragged on for longer than it should. Don't know if it's worth rewatching, but definitely a memorable drama that'll stay with me for a long time.

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I loved the friendship between the women.

I don’t know why I kept avoiding this drama because I was immediately hooked because of the three strong female leads. I loved how their friendship stayed at the forefront throughout the drama. Even the moms were strong and they had strong family support.

I also liked how the men in their lives let them be who they were and respected their friendship.

I’m not sure how to say this but even though one of their friends dies, it was still a feel good story.

I was glad that the bad parents didn’t get in the way of their relationships.

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Slow & Boring

This was a disappointment for me. It was slow and boring.

The acting is stellar. Especially from Lee Moo Saeng. He played SML Jin Seok and I felt him in all of his scenes. He emotes very well. I was more interested in his and 2FL Chan Young's story than the main relationship.

At any rate, I wanted to watch this drama b/c I thought it was an ensemble piece about older, female friendship but it's just a sob story about FL Mi-Jo and her anxiety. The writers put more weight on that than a woman dying of pancreatric cancer. And yes I get that Son Ye Jin was the star and the series was made for her but this had so much wasted potential in the friendship arena. Plus they almost competely left out the 3rd FL Kim Ji Hyun who played Joo Hee in most instances where friendship matters.

I wanted something more adult honestly, sometimes the Mi-Jo character behaved like she was still in her 20s and it was annoying.

7/30/23

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Revolves around a single character.

I love watching melodramas. And I watched thirty because it is a melodrama and also Son Ye Jin was there.
Firstly the actors performance was top notch.
Son Ye Jin - whenever she cries it aches my heart in the drama.
The couples had great chemistry and I think this drama has some underrated green flag men.
Seon Woo was such a green flag. I some times felt bad for him. I understand cha mi jo was not happy or in a mood to date but seon Woo was putting alot of efforts into the relationship. They never got to be a normal happy couple. I thought cha mi joo could've treated him better. Though she was not caring much for him seon Woo was always there for her. The way he hugged at the restaurant when cha mi joo cries after meeting her biological mother was one of the cutest moments.
At first I did not like chan you's boyfriend. I thought he was just cheating on her, but later when we got to know that he was raising his son though he wasn't his son I felt really bad for him. The way he did not leave his girlfriend at all even after she dies broke me.
Although the actors were great, I felt the drama could've been better. Because though the drama is about 3 best friends it only revolved around cha mi joo and her bestie who is dying. I felt very bad for Jang joo hee. She was like third wheel between them. She even informed them that she isn't liking how things are going. She was the last person to know anything. She wasn't even given much importance. I know they helped her when her mother was hospitalized but they could've treated her better atleast when she said that she's feeling ignored. She tried her best to do everything for her friends. They could've showed less of cha mi joo's character because literally the whole series was revolving around her. The ending felt open. They could've showed more of chan you's boyfriend. And even at the end joo hee was a third wheel. I felt bad for her to the end.

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Need Season 2.

OMG this beautiful drama of three friends ❤ journey as friends fro. Childhood and school days to adulthood had it all for me I embraced each episode of their lives unfolded with what was to be and the unexpected and sadness 😔 I laughed and cried with them all the way through to the very end 💔 with the passing of a precious friend . Will watch this show again fro. Start to finish with wine and tissue 🤧 box . I would love to see a season 2 with the remainder cast friendship and lives continuing there's a piano concert to come wedding 💑 adoption . How it all unravels ..please please give us a SEASON 2.

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Need to Know a Bit About What to Expect

There is a mild spoiler ahead, but it's from episode 2. I include because if you are thinking of viewing this show, there are three things you should know before you start:

1. This is the story of Cha Mi Jo (played by Son Ye Jin) and her two close friends, Jeong Chan Young (Jeon Mi Do) and Jang Joo Hee (Kim Ji Hyun). In episode 2 we learn that Chan Young has a terminal illness and that she will not recover. The rest of the series is devoted to the ways Mi Jo and her friends deal with this awfulness, up to and beyond Chan Young's death. This is a tear jerker.

2. Reiterating something from #1, while this is the story of three friends, Mi Jo is clearly the main character, and Chan Young's passing is largely shown from Mi Jo's perspective. One reviewer suggested that Chan Young's death was a prop in Mi Jo's journey, which is exaggerating, but there is a kernel of truth there. Joo Hee is a third wheel in the friendship, almost from the beginning of the show (and from the beginning of the friendship troika going back 20 years). It shouldn't be too surprising, since in kdrama land Son Ye Jin is royalty, Jeon Mi Do is coming off her breakthrough role with Hospital Playlist (after a long experience on stage), and Kim Ji Hyun is a stage actress without any big kdrama roles before this.

3. Mi Jo gets annoying at times. There were a few times when I wanted to yell at the TV "Your friend is dying, stop nagging her!" It is awkward to have a show focusing on one friend's emotional, and at times irrational, reactions to another friend's impending death.

When thinking about the path to #3, I realized this is where the story starts to get personal, and in a way that's uncomfortable for me (at least). Mi Jo desperately loves her friend, and it is tearing her up inside that her friend will be gone soon. Most people face that position at some point, be it a close friend, a parent, or a spouse. Yes, it's their life, and I want to be supportive, but I will have to deal with the consequences too, and I can guess how bad it will be after this person close to me is gone. I am scared about what might happen if my wife, a cancer survivor, dies.

This story was a lot more challenging than the "happy go-lucky three friends find love and meaning as they approach their 40th birthdays" tale that I expected. That would be my summary of the series, solid story, good acting, just not what I was expecting. My only real complaint would be the adoption story lines, which were not exactly "bad" but felt barely relevant to the main story. Again, a good series, as long as you know what you are getting into.

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