AnicsiRoscoe

Yes, it seems it was in episode 7, but they cut it out (at least Netflix Germany did, not sure about other places). I remember because I thought it was weird the way the phone call was edited. We only saw Won's face, and the phone in his hand, we never got to see the person on the other end of the line. So I figured it was to create suspense as to what his appearance would be (it did actually work well, because we see Samir's face the first time he pulls down his car window...)

But yes, I agree with you, I found him quite likeable as well.

I am German, and all I ever see depicted of ‚Germany‘ in foreign shows, is how we wear Lederhosen, drink beer until we get piss drunk, eat sausage every day, are diligent workers but uptight with no humor, emotionless and cold, and let’s not forget our Nazi history… Do I enjoy seeing my culture portrayed like that? No. Do I make a big deal out of it? No. Because I know it’s not true, and because I know most people who watch those shows will see it as the comedy it is meant as, or as the stereotype that people expect to see. Each and every culture/and or religion is misrepresented in comedic shows. And Kdramas especially portray their own elite/politicians etc. often enough in a bad light, sometimes worse than trash.
So I don’t understand your „ 2- we're normally stero-typed and in the worst way possible we never get to be shown as humans but as a collection of everything negative and this one was a spot on example“.
Prince Samir is shown as Won’s friend, they bicker and compete with each other, but overall Samir has a friendly and fun personality. What about his performance wasn’t ‚human‘? Won and other people in the show flaunt their money, so it cannot be that. The drinking and partying? It’s never specifically said what religion Samir belongs to, and there ARE people of influence in Arab countries that drink and party behind (more or less) closed doors, even if their religion doesn’t allow them to. Again, this is a work of fiction, and it is very obviously not meant to be offensive, because his character is written in a nice manner.

Also, just btw, the nightclub scene has been cut from the show... Now here comes the 'netizen' censorship, bravo!

I started watching the drama only yesterday, I saw the headlines of the controversy but didn't look into it in detail. After watching the two episodes I wondered what the fuss was all about. Was it the money? Was it his insistence concerning the FL? Or how he treated Won? It seems the original scene of the nightclub has been cut from the the episodes by now, so I cannot share my opinion on that... However, I do think people need to chill. In comedy, everyone and everything gets their share of exaggerated ridicule, that's what most comedy lives off. The overall picture is what matters, and Samir is depicted as a very sweet and likeable man, of course not without flaws. People of his status could behave differently than most of the Arab citizens. It could still happen.
There are dozens of Korean characters, in some shows even royalty, acting inappropriately. It is not meant as a representation of a specific culture.

I find it sad that you think the female lead here is toxic and self-centered. I don't know when you dropped watching it, but much of it becomes apparent later on in the show. After what had happened to her, everyone would have doubted themselves and fallen into a black hole. At one point in the shows she says 'I wonder where I would be now if I hadn't ended up at that beach back then.' It implies thoughts of suicide. Why is it selfish for her to want to find her true self and heal? Mental health is the most important thing in our lives. How are we going to love someone if we hate ourselves? I agree that she didn't do Jae Won justice in how she broke up with him, but this is why this drama is so real. She said she wanted to come clean back in Seoul, but then she found out about him knowing her best friends and all the pain and humiliation came flooding back, the part of her she wanted to hide the most. We make mistakes. We think we will spare the other person pain or longing by making a clean cut and getting them to hate us, but it's just fueling their lack of understanding instead. Anyway, I personally have nothing but sympathy for FL and while I feel so sad for Jae Won, I got teary eyed when I learned of her past... Some people may have wished for the leads to not end up together, but to me, it was the opposite. Jae Won and Seon Ah at YangYang beach were not 'real'. They were in a bubble of their fantasy world without responsibilities and a care in the world. While it's beautiful and romantic, something like that cannot last forever. It's not only Seon Ah who was a different person then, Jae Won acted way out of his usual demeanor as well. So when they finally face each other in Seoul, with the 'real' world around them, it's not as rosy colored anymore, but this is the lesson we learn from this drama. There's nothing like a perfect person or relationship. They had to recognize the good and bad in each other and learn to compromise in order to be together as their 'real' selves...

I agree and I think a lot of people drop it too early because of the 'documentary' thing. It is strange perhaps, but it's just to set the mood and idea of the story and later on you completely forget about it and those scenes almost disappear, too. It's in my top 10 dramas, so I am happy you gave it a second chance. Agree with the view on Seon Ah, I mean, there is nothing worse than not being able to love yourself. She says it very clearly later on as well, that her priority is finding out who she is first. How would she be able to be in a relationship otherwise. So, yeah, a very deep drama for me and I'll always go back to it for sure!

It depends on taste, but production value is great for this drama, like acting, music, cinematography... Personally I thought it was super funny, I loved the plot, and the characters, I've seen it 4 times already. I would say it's more for a mature audience, though, because it can be frustrating at times with the characters dealing with 'adult' issues in their work and relationships. Then again, some of their antics can be seen as childish, it's portrayed in a very charming manner, though. Oh yeah, and the leads chemistry is like, off the charts, very real romance. I think most people dropped it too early being annoyed with the 'documentary' aspect, but it gradually gets less and actually disappears almost completely by episode 5 or so, and is only referenced on occasion. Don't let that stop you. I'd say you'll likely enjoy it it if you like dramas like 'Because this is my first life', and 'hometown cha cha cha'. It's become on of my absolute favorites, and it's short, so it doesn't drag. Give it a chance if you're in the mood for some slice of life!

shipping possibilities/chemistry though, like in Mad Dog or nothing at all?

The actress is actually 30, same age as the ML, and FL actress is 29. Hye Ri looks just especially young... (and the drama was produced 3 years ago, so she would've been 27)

ah right, just between lovers, i forgot about that. but yeah, most likely just showing support :)

ah right, just between lovers, i forgot about that. but yeah, most likely just showing support :)

I have not watched the drama, but I do wish to comment on your so-called 'review'. I understand that you care a lot for the original work, but giving this drama a 1.0, the lowest score in EVERYTHING is an insult to the ENTIRE production crew (including the original author you want to defend, as it is their story it is based on) and obviously nothing more than a tantrum thrown at not getting the adaption you wished it could have been. Objectively speaking, a 1.0 would be the absolute worst of production value, the worst music, the worst acting (and here I quote your 'Lee Sung-min as Jin Yang-cheol was perfect, his acting skills had me in awe'??!), the worst possible cinematography/story-telling etc. With a stellar cast, and an above average soundtrack (I've heard some of it) and acclaimed director/screenwriter working on this show, this is obviously not the case. I wish you would take writing a review more seriously, as it is misleading potential viewers and in no way reflects the actual quality of the show.

No, he's not.

There might be various reasons, I got an add for King the Land just after finishing 'Celebrity', and Kim Chul Gyu, the director for 'Celebrity' worked with Jun Ho on 'Confession'. Park Gyu Young and Jun Ho were also represented by the same agency before she left, so they might be friends and he's just showing support. In any case, I very much doubt that it's supposed to be a hint at something deeper.

I am really torn about this series. Yes, it's entertaining, but it also somehow feels very repetitive. It's the same gist of over and over. The beginning and ending episodes were good, but I feel like the middle part kept dragging. My biggest issue, though, was the amount hateful characters. Besides Ah Ri, Joon Kyung and Shi Hyun, everyone else was absolutely horrible. I couldn't warm up to Ah Ri's mum and her friend either, and Ah Ri was quite aloof and unlikeable in some moments as well. Yes, I am sure there's tons of people like this in the influencer/celeb world but they could've had at least one nice person there to have some balance. I know romance is not the main focus, but I wish the leads had had more profound encounters in the later episodes. There wasn't much to begin with, but later on we got nothing but shared silence. A waste of opportunities. The premise of the show is good, but it's not very deep. All in all, nice to kill the time but won't rewatch. 7.5/10

It was just a guest appearance from actor Lee Jun Ho to promote his next drama 'King the Land'.

I need a romance fix, is this a good watch for that? I don't mind melancholy or slow burn, as long as it has good chemistry and when something finally happens, it should give you flutters. I also cannot take something that's sad ALL the time, so does this have light hearted moments as well? Opinions welcome :)

I can only understand a bit of Korean, but I've noticed the same. I started rewatching the first season of Dr. Romantic the other day on netflix, and I was like: 'huh, was that what they said? I remember it differently.', so many times. So I went to compare the fansubs on kissasian where I had watched it like 4 times, and indeed, so many dialogues are losing their meaning on netflix translation because they don't add the nuances/word play that makes it funny. I have so much respect for all translators, but still, I wish they would try to stick more closely to the original, like good quality fansubs.

I would be totally up for that as well! That slow burn and UST killed me LOL It was really painful to watch at times, though. Recommendations, anyone? Something with a happy ending though, my poor heart cannot take it.

Rewatched this after 4 years and still loved it. It sort of feels empowering. It's not in my top 10, but it's the right mix of romance, friendship and light office drama when you're in a bit of a slump. My favorite couple are Scarlett and Ji Hwan, but my heart went all out to Ga Kyung and Jin Woo. Oof, their scenes really burned. From their first time on screen together, you feel the tension, pain and guilt underneath the surface, that slowly simmers into contained longing until it reaches the boiling point in the final episodes. The understanding and unconditional support they had for each other, amidst all that craziness really stood out to me, yet they had to pretend to not care, to keep up appearances. After the divorce, when Jin Woo asks her to date him, and she says she cannot, because she'll disappear, as she had promised... Gosh, that look in his eyes broke me. I am glad they left it as somewhat of an open ending, so there's hope the two of them will find together eventually, once evil Mrs. Jang is out of the picture.

Ah also, in the first episode we see female hands pushing FL's husband from the roof. Even though he definitely prepared to commit suicide, it was never revealed if that actually happened and if so, who it was. I mean, we could guess it's Yoo Hee, but why would she get her hands dirty if he's gonna kill himself anyway? There were some more things that were never revealed, f.e. if she was actually the one to stage the 'accident' of FLs daughter or if she was really framed for it...