Last Summer (2025)

A Beautifully Written Character Driven Journey

This is a show for people who like to pay attention and be rewarded for the effort. There are no car chases. No fight scenes. No twists. If you enjoy shows ABOUT people - who they are, what makes them tick, how connections are forged - this one will knock your socks off. But if you're looking for something where you can sit back and shut your brain off - this is not for you.

This is a story about guilt.

When the story begins, our female lead is drowning in her own loneliness and misery. Those she loved most have all left her, and she's been abandoned in a house that was once full of life and love. Our male lead: he's the one who comes back. He regrets leaving. He regrets letting her win. But she's always been his weakness. However, her way has not been working. They're both suffering. They're two points of a triangle that is now missing their third. He wants them to face their guilt head on. She wants to run away from it. Her life is cold. He wants to bring warmth. He is a fixer. She prefers to hide away from things that need to be fixed. The whole plot is him trying to fix what went wrong as she continues to run from it.

Every aspect of this show was written with care and consideration. The metaphor of our female lead's cold hands, the summer and winter triangle, the revision of the term 'last summer' in the series' final moments. The writing is beautiful if only you pay attention.

It's sad to see just how many people can't enjoy a show like this. The claims that it's boring or confusing are disheartening and say more about the state of viewers than the series itself. If you like a character driven show, if you liked Melo Movie or Just Between Lovers or Our Beloved Summer, give this one a proper shot and trust that there's a reason for every choice the writer has made.

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Lost Summer : A story of regret, healing and writing that doesn't commit to either!

This drama's synopsis tricked me in the beginning. The initial impression I had was that it was a drama about nostalgia, reconciliation, facing old wounds, and promising emotional payoff when buried memories resurface. And for a few brief moment, it did almost convince me that it was that but then the mask slipped away and what we got in the end was melodrama where characters circle the same point without making much progress and pretending it to be romance. This was far from a healing romcom in my books and the non-linear storytelling didn't help its case.

Starting with the writing, the non-linear storytelling was my least favourite part here. All the flashbacks here felt like they were stalling the plot, repeating the same information we already know and withholding answers for way too long which feels deliberate rather than purposeful.
Nonlinearity is supposed to show contrast and clarity but everyone here for most of the drama stayed flat. Whether it is past or present, it felt like they were stuck in the same emotional loop, repeating the same conflicting, lashing out the same way based on their suspicions and misunderstandings. It was like no one evolved across timelines or even wanted to.

Another part which wasn't written well or executed was the twin subplot.
The whole mystery part of the drama was built around DoHa's twin brother, Do Yeong and what happened to him. But the problem was that everyone (the audience) already knew he existed from the 1st line of the synopsis, so the secrecy around it wasn't needed at the start and it didn't make sense to me either. Also, the two brothers barely had distinct identities or clear backstories, or even styling to differentiate themselves. If you don't pay enough attention when both are sharing the screen, you might easily get confused about who is who. We have had twin dramas this year where they have actually nailed the twins part (Our Unwritten Seoul - Yu MiRae and Yu Miji), so technically it is possible.
By the time they actually revealed what actually happened, I kind of stopped caring about it.

Coming to characters, Song Ha Gyeong was a frustrating lead, not because she was flawed or not a green flag but the way her character was written in the same self-sabotaging pattern that never evolved. On paper, she is supposed to be complex, wounded and introspective. But in reality, she was frustratingly inconsistent and her refusal to communicate her feelings surprised me. Again, flawed characters are not the issue but the lack of growth is.

And the strange part is how self-aware the writing seems about her shortcomings. She was told by other characters about her distrustfulness, her tendency to jump to conclusions and lashing out. Yet every episode, it felt like she did the same thing. I understand she built a wall around her heart for self-preservation but then own up to it. She kept running away from her problems and then turned around to blame her choice to bolt whenever they tried to sit down and have an actual and honest conversation. I understand she has been hurt, but she shouldn't act like it was only her especially when her actions keep dragging everyone else into the fallout. She did finally understand Do Ha's perspective but I thought it was a little too late in my opinion.

Do Ha's journey wasn't that interesting either but it was better than Ha Gyeong's. I did like how doted he was on FL, even though he was rejected left and right. I liked how he always put his foot down to have a clear, honest conversation. What I didn't like was how the script often used him as a catalyst for FL's emotions and somehow ignored his.

The chemistry between them was alright. I liked the playful banter in between, especially the one involving Subak. Towards the end, we finally get cute moments of them together. But was it enough to overlook everything? Sadly no. The loop of hesitation, guilt and misunderstanding somehow drained the life out of romance.

2nd couple was sweet and had an interesting story but they didn't get enough screen time. They popped in occasionally and then just disappeared from the narrative, and then re-emerged just as suddenly. Wasted opportunity.

A special mention to Subak, our cute golden for maintaining the cute quotient whenever he was on screen.

Acting wise, it was decent. The leads gave it their all, but the script was straight-up holding them back. It was my first time seeing Choi Sung Eun and hoping to see her in more dramas but with a better script. All the other actors across the board were also just fine. Again, no amount of acting could save a story that was already sinking under its own writing.

Production wise, it was pretty and visually appealing. I liked how the framing of the house was done, and not just visually, but for the story too. Outdoor scenes were scenic with that soft lightning and warm colour palette.

Overall, after completing this drama, I realised stagnant character arcs and misplaced melodrama aren't something that I enjoy. Will I recommend it? Sadly no. But it's good to watch and judge it for yourself rather than taking anyone's word but proceed with tempered exceptions. Better to be surprised than disappointed.

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