Crash Course in Romance

A CRASH COURSE IN LIFE

DISCLAIMER: These are just my thoughts; we don’t have to agree and I’m not looking to argue with anyone.

This show should be called Crash Course in Life, not Crash Course in Romance. Overall it had more comedy, slice of life and drama / thriller than romance aspects.

First off I wanna say that I really enjoyed this show and before it was finished I was excited to rate it super high like a 9/10 but now my feelings have changed and I give this show an 8-8.5/10. Studio dragon definitely doesn’t really miss with the shows they produce… for the most part, they seem well put together, thought out, and executed. You can feel all the actors efforts no matter the script and I think that’s what makes their productions truly worth watching / amazing.

For episodes 1-8 I was super invested and loved the direction the show was going in even with the annoying controlling moms but then after that, the show took a different turn and idk… it became very predictable, and I found myself not as invested as the first time. Maybe because I watched this drama weekly instead of binging it in one go is the reason, I feel this way but idk… the show ended up missing the mark in some ways. Don’t get me wrong the comedy and light-heartedness of the show was really touching and I even found myself tearing up a few times. At its core, you can really see that love and family relationships is an ongoing theme throughout and that these people will always fight for and protect the ones they care about.

In my humble opinion, since Haeng-seon and Chi-yeol got together I felt myself losing interest… there weren’t as many obstacles in their relationship prior to dating and it seemed like their romance got overshadowed with trying to find out more about the murders and who exactly was targeting Haeng-seon and her family. It was predictable because Dong-hui seemed suspicious from the get-go. Honestly, I was not satisfied by his suicide because he got the easy way out instead of having to rot in prison and pay for his crimes. I keep saying this, but I hate when female leads are always so carefree and nice to persons who clearly don’t mean them well… same goes for Su Ah’s mom. I literally did not care or feel sorry that her husband cheated on her. If anything, it was karma and it served her right. She was always praying on the downfall of other moms and their kids so that her child could remain on top and well… what goes around comes around.

Hae-e’s mom coming back the moment she got into a coma was your stereo-typical drama moment. I’m sure everyone could see that coming. I really felt bad for Hae-e because you could tell she didn’t see that woman as her mother after so many years and felt obligated/forced to be nice to her and tolerate her bullsh*t. It was painful watching her pretend to care for and be interested in Hae-e when you knew the real reason she was here was to try and pimp Haeng-seon and Chi Yeol (him specifically) out of money. She literally had no scruples or shame about doing it either and I’m sure at that moment Hae-e realized she was nothing like her mom at all… and she didn’t even want to be. Her bio mother was a nuisance and to me, she added nothing to the plot other than tension and unnecessary drama. She was only a plot device trying to create strife and break their little family apart.

In the end, I’m glad she realized that Hae-e grew up fine without her and she was just intruding on her life by sticking around. She was a sh*tty mom and I’m glad she realized that and packed her bags to allow Hae-e to be happy with the family who raised her.

This show really got me in my feelings, especially the last episode. Scratch a lot of the bad things I said before I absolutely loved this – THE LAST EPISODE CAME THROUGH!!

Chi Yeol and Haeng-seon both deciding to buy each other rings and proposing to each other was golden. They really are made for each other and I love that their feelings have never wavered. Even if this show is frustrating keep watching because the love between the characters will really get you. It’s about the pure love between a mom and her daughter. That scene when Hae-e ran into Haeng-seon’s arms just like in the flashback had me crying!!! Even Sun-jae's mom making amends with both her sons and accepting Hui-jae as he was touched me so deeply. Su-A's mom becoming a mentor/coach at the pride and helping other parents to get their kids on the path to seeking higher education was a good turn of the tables aswell. It seemed like everyone really changed for the better. A big surprise for me was Geon Hu and Su A liking each other, Hae-e actually giving Sun-Jae a chance and Jae Woo getting Young Joo pregnant. I mean they added it all at the end/epilogue but I still ate it up.

All in all, this drama was good. It gave what needed to be given and tackled a lot of situations while still maintaining the funny, lightheartedness of it all.

I give this drama a solid 8.5/10 and some brownie points for being able to tug on my heartstrings ❤️ I would 100% recommend it to others and I would rewatch it in a heartbeat.

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A Seemingly Fun Drama Addressing Family Pressure on South Korean Kids to Succeed Academically

My take on this drama now that we are almost to the midpoint.

I love, love watching Jeon Do Yeon. She is a natural and has this way about her, making me believe her in every role she takes. Here she is funny, fun, and almost over-indulged as a mom trying to keep up with other moms way over-involved, if not obsessed with their children's education. I adore Jung Kyung Ho; he is such an expressive actor and so much fun to watch. He is my third favorite South Korean Actor. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect from him in this role, but I love this fun side of him, and his love and dedication to math and teaching make me want to go back to school and re-do all those math exams I took as a senior in high school -- who knew math could be so appealing.

The twist I didn't expect from this drama is the murder/crime/suicide aspect. It makes sense to have that twist, seeing how much pressure parents, schools, and the education system puts on these kids. I am all for pushing your kids to excel in school, but it shouldn't be at the expense of their mental health or life, for that matter. One of the biggest tragedies of the Korean education system is that children and teenagers must always study. They have little time left over for fun, relaxing, vacations, or enriching themselves in non-school-related activities. It's not forced on them, but they are given few options for success; if they do not excel, it's as good as forced on them. Some kids study 18 hours a day, spend 10 hours at school, go to cram-school classes after school, and spend their time studying at home to secure a good college and standard of living, and acceptance is beyond tragic. I wish the parents, especially the moms, would put as much time into providing their children with a more balanced life as they do with their education. It would amount to a much happier society with students/children who aren't as stressed or pressured to study all the time and wouldn't need to cheat, lie, scheme, or bully to be accepted, feel good about themselves, or stay ahead.

Not only Koreans but most Asians see education as a way of gaining success and bringing esteem to one's family. And what's even more bewildering is the extent these mothers would go to secure that success for their children even at the expense of other children, resorting to cheating, lying, and scheming -- which in turn leads to bullying others and harming others and themselves, even murder and suicide. I don't even know if a solution exists. Still, I think the system itself needs a massive overhaul, and so does the role of the family and education-crazy mothers who believe their child's life is not about freedom, personal choice, or happiness; it is about production, performance, and obedience -- life is so much more than that and just because one birth a child it doesn't mean then own them.

I appreciate this drama for bringing up the many issues related to the education system in South Korea, particularly the pressure families put on their kids to succeed academically and the consequences of those actions.

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