Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A drama you can watch with no brain capacity and that is just what I wanted
Your typical romcom Kdrama, light and fluffy, sweet and sour, nothing serious. A drama you can watch with no brain capacity and sometimes that is just what I want. It is not a masterpiece by any means, maybe B-Tier, but still enjoyable.First drama with Lee SunBin, and I really liked her character (Mi Kyung), even though she can be very loud especially in the beginning. Obviously Kang Tae Oh as your heartthrob, green forest flag comes back strong as ever. I mean, how can you not like him?? Still cute as a puppy and now hot as a potato after coming back from the military.
I didn't quiet understand Park Ki Se (her Ex, that literally cheated on her, married the chairwoman daughter, while being engaged to her)... why the hell are we even trying to redeem him? But I guess it was still nice to see them kind of parting ways in a good way. I just found the leads really cute and Kang Tae Oh was a big reason for me to finish this series. Shout out to Mi Kyungs bestie On-ju for being a crazy b*tch cause we love a bestie like that.
Because some people are comparing it to Brewing Love, I agree that The Potato Lab ist better. I liked the humour here a lot more. I guess I like the leads more as well, and I definitely their chemistry. I also felt like, Brewing Love was more "emotional" and focused more on their "traumas" in a way that was kind of over the top and not really relatable for me. The Potato Lab deals with their traumas in a more natural way: for example Mi Kyungs attitude, not giving up and being a hard working (but still complaining about it at the same time, idk it makes it more realistic for me). The point I'm trying to make is, that The Potato Lab is less dramatic.
Acting was good and both leads and the rest of the cast (shout out to Mi Kyungs brother and her bestie, really like his scene when he lashed out on her about the way she was treating him, knowing he's been crushing on her for years).
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A very enjoyable series with well-developed characters. I genuinely enjoyed watching it and, most importantly, it never got boring. That said, there were a few absurdities that kept me from giving it 10 stars, namely: So Baek-ho looked at the female lead’s profile and didn’t connect her to the girl whose life he had ruined. Also, the fact that he fired her yet again — even though he later saw for himself that she was a valuable employee — and still stuck to his decision. Additionally, the ending itself was quite mediocre and pointless. Was this review helpful to you?
Cuteness will only carry you so far.
I'm familiar with the male lead, Kang Tae Oh. I wasn't familiar with the FL, Lee Sun Bin (even though she had a small guest role in "Uncanny Counter").I will say, "Potato Lab" had me going with all of the beautiful cinema angles, nice production sets, and great-looking leads. The cuteness and adolescent-like navigation of the leads seemed okay. And I was rolling with it with a smile on my face. Especially the car wash scene. But eventually, all of that cuteness wore out. IMO, after the smoke cleared, the lack of a real solid story for the leads to navigate through was exposed. All the way until the final credits.
I understand pain and conflict, but the behavior began to feel more like childishness. The supporting cast didn't have any real job to support the leads. (Not enough story) Other than being nosy and gossiping. because it was all they had. The second love interest couple seemed to have more cohesion. Anyway, it was okay. Even better for someone who's sort of new to Kdramas.
Was this review helpful to you?
Irony at its finest: blending an unhinged enemies-to-lovers dynamic with office drama and more
When rational adults are thrusted into potato-centered ridicule in a small-town, there is only one word to describe this phenomena: quirky.With a plot crafted around a fixation on potatoes and a setting that shifts from a small town, where everyone feels like family, to a big one like Seoul, where no one seems to be on your side, both settings clash in silly circumstances and curate the sense of hilarity that the series has successfully woven into its episodes. ‘The Potato Lab’ draws comedy from the mundanity of both worlds through irony, amusing light ridicule, and an emphasis on the chaos created when common-sense-fueled characters find themselves cornered into unhinged situations. From ill-fitting dynamics to peculiarly unusual happenings, the characters, journeying through their every-day lives through this silly lens, are presented from such a lighthearted angle that no character is to be taken seriously. And viewers can’t help but laugh along, savouring this comedic taste.
The potato research institute, situated in the tight-knit community of a potato-field-filled mountain valley, is forced to shift its focus from potato researching and breeding to balancing an unforeseen problem: one that forces them to halt their traditions and usual routines. By converting their more traditional-leaning lab to something more polished and considered more ethical in the bigger picture, following a forced merger between the large food retailer Wonhan, the lab's atmosphere greatly changes. New individuals invite themselves into the lab researchers' lives, poisoning the calm with a sense of superiority that threatens the tranquility of their usual laid-back attitudes and slow work-habits. Their work tasks shift to adapt to this reconstruction, becoming a stressful struggle rather than an enjoyment as it had been prior to the big change.
Kim Mi-gyeong represents an epitome of resilience during this time, protesting their values and traditions being taken away while trying to navigate this new undercurrent of change with an open heart—quite literally, as she eventually falls under the spell of So Baek-ho, the CEO of Wonhan, who instills his work-related ideals on them. Their polar-opposite lives intertwine, inspiring So Baek-ho to explore a work-free facet of himself, to stop being so uptight, and develop his robot-like communication skills. When their first—supposed—romantic trip together involves an overnight trip to differentiate sweet potatoes from regular potatoes, and one of their first dates is merely followed by a moonlit search for a lost cow, yet both are still enjoying themselves despite these unconventional contexts, it is hard to believe they aren’t a perfect match. Viewers are soon left with a dissipating anger towards the male lead, going from booing him to joining the female lead in thirsting over his abs when he teases them.
In a bid to keep work life and personal life separate, they find comfort and strength in losing themselves in each other’s eyes, and always find themselves searching for one another, eager to hold gazes once more.Torn between work ethics combined with personal principles and his feelings for the female lead, both are in a constant swarm of emotions, fighting to find an answer to their shared question in the blur that is their unique relationship: is what they share love? During their journey in slowly piecing together their answer to this question, both find even greater meaning in their respective lives. The female lead learns to put her pride in her work and her hardness aside while the male lead eventually sees employees, as well as his own self, beyond work context. Baek-ho and Mi-gyeong’s love evolves gradually—a testament to the effort they put into accepting their sad pasts as part of a small piece of the picture of their identity, and their success in becoming the best versions of themselves.
Overall, the plot’s delivery was peak entertainment, a feel-good show with beautiful green scenery. Despite the hilarity and wholesomeness of the first-half, its second fell through with toxic behaviour and, needless to say, no character—not even So Baek-ho or Kim Mi-gyeong and their established romantic relationship—could be saved from the unlikeable mess that grew unwatchable 'til the very end.
2025-04-18
Was this review helpful to you?
refreshing and charming
Episodes 1-4: For a 35/36 year old woman, she act very childish and does some silly revengeful things. I means that the drama cliche for the FL.The series wasn’t all about potatoes, it was also about the ML job and romance.
The ML was always work focused and doing what he is told. While the FL was care carefree but still work focused on what she actually loves.
The ML realized little things about the FL that sparked his interest and gradually developed feelings for her.
The needed to work on communication because the secrets is what made them fall out a few times.
Anyways, there wasn’t anything that stood out. Just a regular refreshing charming, workplace romance drama with comedy
Was this review helpful to you?
Kang Tae-Oh's back
I was really sad when 18 months ago coming off of Extraordinary Attorney Woo that King Tae-Oh started his military service. I was quite excited that he was back with a new project. This role seemed against type to me in this K-drama he is a very emotionally a stunted very somber person and we really don't get a lot of that signature Kang Tae-Oh smile. I was curious if they were using his time away from filming as a way to make his image more mature or play to different style roles. Even so I liked watching him just fine. This was my first time seeing the lead actress Lee Sun-Bin in anything, and I can't tell if I didn't like her acting or I didn't like her character? Her style of character is one that is always arguing about everything, and she's not always right she's just loud. I was perplexed why his character would like her character, I wouldn't want to be around somebody who just yelled at me all the time with occasional hitting.I did really enjoy seeing supporting actress Kim Ga-Ein, she's always somebody's best friend it seems, but this time as a more wild smut writing long curly-haired girl. She did well in her role she was funny.
The soundtrack....there's just one song where they kept singing "inhaling" over and over and it was really irritating. That's literally all I remember of the soundtrack.
I'm in it for KTO, otherwise I wouldn't really recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fun but misses some marks
I really liked some aspects of this drama.Pro: The lead actor definitely carries a lot of the show. I also liked how it was more open about sex and intimacy. The best friend in the show was a very enjoyable character. There were some funny moments between the potato lab game and I enjoyed the familial feel with her coworkers and her brother. It has a happy ending.
Con: I feel like the romance was a little lacking or rushed. anytime they were about to have a significant moment with each other and was always interrupted or some big secret or drama occurred. Not really giving the characters time to develop a relationship.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Underbaked
This drama had a lot of potential. The cast was fantastic. The actors were fantastic. The plot was funny.But then it kind of fizzled towards the end. I think they could have done with a full 16 episodes instead of a shorter 12. There were some plot holes that needed to be tied up and the 3 year time jump felt like a cheap method to quickly wrap up the show.
It's a 3 year time jump and we see that the ML and FL are a power couple, but they're struggling financially, with ML balancing three jobs?? They're happier, but the financial struggle really feels like they stopped in the middle of their story.
Overall it was fun to watch. I just wish they ended it properly. Felt like a crash landing.
Was this review helpful to you?
Funny but Fell Flat in the Feels
Potato Lab was overall a good watch with light humour sprinkled throughout. The male lead stayed engaging and consistent until the love storyline took over, while the female lead sometimes felt a bit overwhelming. The second lead added some much-needed comedy, which I enjoyed.However, there wasn’t much depth beyond that, and I was personally disappointed with the reveal that the male lead was two years younger than the female lead. From that moment, my perspective on their dynamic shifted, and it slightly took away from the experience. The OSTs, though, completely won me over!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
No Starch
I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was written by the same person who wrote Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, one of my most favourite Kdramas. It's true, people are entitled to try to write something light and unserious, however, there's no excuse for writing nonsense. I honestly thought I was watching a webtoon adaptation the whole time, I just checked who the writer was after I finished.The main issue for me is the "webtooness". The reactions are too frequently over the top, which makes it seem insincere instead of funny or light. If you're going for light, you can't take serious issues and treat them as if they're a discussion about favourite colours. The storytelling seems lazy, things seem to miraculously succeed one another out of the blue, in some sort of magic trick. "uh, we need more potatoes and are now looking for all we can have so we can put the leads together now that they're mad at each other. Uhh the youngest team member is an agricultural silver spoon, so he'll magically solve the issue that isn't needed anymore to make the leads solve a life destroying issue with two words and a sorry".
If they were aiming for something light, they shouldn't have brought up heavy or complex subjects that they didn't intend to respect. There are many examples of this, starting with the elephant in the room, FL forgiving everyone who betrayed her and fucked up her life without a single reason to do so. There's no drive for forgiveness to be granted other than mild regret and tears. A LOT OF TEARS.
She was betrayed by her boyfriend, not only that, he was planning a wedding with another woman while still dating her. She was bullied and lost her job because of that. The person who had NOT ONLY gotten her fired, also had gotten her bullied and discredited was, again, firing her and calling her incompetent.
Her best friend and basically twin, the person who was almost her extension, knew her boyfriend was not only betraying her but planning a whole wedding behind her back was incapable of letting her BEST FRIEND know because then she would be the one to blame for their break up?!?!?!?! WHAT SENSE DOES THAT MAKE?!?! They're presented as soulmates and she was afraid of a mild rage for telling the truth and getting her friend out of a fucked up situation? It doesn't make any sense. That's not lightness, that's lazy writing and stupid. She wasn't an acquaintance, she was her soulmate, she would be the first person to have her back, how could she not have her back in such an important situation? That's a level of betrayal that shouldn't be overlooked. And she only came clean 6 years after! That could ruin a relationship or at least warrant more than some tears and mild regret followed by instant reassurance.
On the same line, you can't say a person who was abandoned and became and orphan at an age that they remember that they don't know what it's like to lose someone. They're the epitome of loss. He had a mother who abandoned him at a train station. He though they would come back for him but they didn't. He lost a whole family and became an orphan. He knows what it's like to lose someone. Even if you don't have a parent, you learn early in life what it feels like to be lacking something everyone else seems to have. Once you're in contact with the world, the world will make sure you're lacking and there will be a hole there that will never be filled. He knows loss.
You can make a drama light but you have to make it make sense. Please!
The main reason I'm making this review is the propaganda. The potato famine was a deliberate strategy by the UK government towards Ireland with genocide as the intent. It wasn't a famine, it was a genocide. On Wikipedia we can read "Large amounts of food were exported from Ireland during the famine and the refusal of London to bar such exports, as had been done on previous occasions, was an immediate and continuing source of controversy, contributing to anti-British sentiment and the campaign for independence. Additionally, the famine indirectly resulted in tens of thousands of households being evicted, exacerbated by a provision forbidding access to workhouse aid while in possession of more than one-quarter acre of land." It wasn't because of a potato infection, it was due to policies that deliberately removed other sources of food from the Irish because, according to the British, they lacked moral character. That is genocide and not famine. The same way they called what happened in Ireland a famine, they're now calling what's happening in Gaza a famine too. It's the same strategy and we can't keep repeating the same propaganda and the same mistakes if we want a just world.
I know this is supposed to be a light drama but don't mention or pick heavy subjects if you want to keep it light.
I'll still be looking forward to this writer's next drama, anyway.
Was this review helpful to you?
