Their Marriage

Whodunit? Who cares

J-dramas are full of quirky and off kilter characters and plots. This one is an odd mix but not in the usual way. Nothing outrageous or controversial. It just doesn't sit comfortably within any particular genre.

This drama draws us in with an autumnal romance between our leads. It was supposed to be love at first sight, yet it felt contrived considering their personalities and circumstances. Ask no questions, chingu. I am intrigued though. Will their whirlwind romance blossom?

Things get complicated when we are introduced to the FL's family. They are an odd bunch. Each have their own foibles. At least they are friendly and welcome him into their fold. Yet, something feels amiss. An unspoken presence lurks around the edge of their congenial gatherings.

We soon learnt that the FL's boyfriend died mysteriously 15 years ago. It was ruled an accident. Yet, one of the officer investigating was not convinced. He pushed to have the case reopened after all these years. He has his own reasons which I shall not elaborate further. As this is a murder mystery, I'll try my best not to spoil it for you.

If I'm being honest, I don't feel the mystery plot is well constructed. The writer-san drip feed us titbits of information and lead us down the garden path a few times. It is functional, but lacks the intricacies of a top tier crime friction.

Discounting a random killer, there are only 2 or 3 people who could have done the deed, we are literally running out of suspects. Fine, we can overlook the wobbly narrative if the romance is something special. Alas, I find this wanting as well.

While our leads would declare their love for each other from time to time, I'm not convinced. I even started to suspect the FL is using the old honey trap to get the ML involved as he is a high-profile lawyer. IMHO, it would have made more sense that way. I was perplexed. Is it really true love?

Here lies the problem with this series. It seems to think by throwing in the odd red herring and a bunch of eccentric characters, it can glow up an ordinary murder plot. It is a paper thin facade.

When we have the final reveal, I was not surprised. There are literally no other options. It was Occam's Razor after all. Having said that, there is a minor twist towards the end which was delicious.

Personally, I'd have preferred a stronger whodunit or a more swoon-y love story. What we got is a grab bag of eccentric characters pushing and pulling in their own orbits. I get the messages about family ties and freedom of choice, but the show took its time delivering them.

We got there in the end. I'm not sure the destination is worth the journey. Given the decent performances and on par production, this is a shame. Peace.

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