Incessant Product Placement
Whew! I've been on the verge of giving up my Korean Drama addiction because, so far, so many new series have been duds. At first I thought LOVE NEXT DOOR was better, but now I'm having second thoughts.
During the first half of this series, the male and female leads–played by two well known heart throbs--were mostly believable, especially Jung Hae-in who can make anything work.
The plot lurched off the rails in a few places, with enough crying and carrying on to deplete Korea-'s entire stock of menthol tear sticks. The parents, especially Seok-ryoo's mother acted crazy and abusive (and not in a fun way).
The actress who played Mo-Eum was winsome and likable, but she overacted. I liked her, so I liked the character. But I couldn't warm toward Seok-ryoo in this drama--she was just too arbitrary and cruel.
Let me just mention one other minor character, the ML’s mother. This woman loved her son, but she allowed someone else to raise him. She loved her husband, but she never learned to cook. Instead she’s had a wonderful, professional life–traveling the world and learning about other cultures. And how does this series present this unique woman? As someone who deserves punishment, someone who’s about to lose it all--friends, family, and her marriage. The subtext is clear–if insulting to modern women.
The incessant, in-your-face product placement disappointed me the most. I thought episode 11 was bad, but in episode fourteen, one of the leads actually shows the label on the can to the camera and says, "I had no idea alcohol tasted this good."
There were at least three major bouts of alcohol consumption (and product placement) in episode 14. Apparently, the writers aren't even trying to be subtle.
Nothing against alcohol here, but I really resent the cheap commercialization. Hey Studio Dragon (and you too Netflix)--please don't go down this path.
Why are Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min who are both incredible actors damaging their artistic reputations this way?
Throughout, the writers created trivial excuses and pretexts for various main characters to go on a bender. Whatever the problem–minor spats, bad news–hey, let’s all get drunk. It just seemed like the writers were looking for any chance to push the products.
Still...until the whole series fell apart toward the end, it was mostly watchable. The leads did a good job and hit all the right notes for a good, solid romance. I wasn't looking for high art, but the constant (and obvious) viewer manipulation ruined this one for me.
During the first half of this series, the male and female leads–played by two well known heart throbs--were mostly believable, especially Jung Hae-in who can make anything work.
The plot lurched off the rails in a few places, with enough crying and carrying on to deplete Korea-'s entire stock of menthol tear sticks. The parents, especially Seok-ryoo's mother acted crazy and abusive (and not in a fun way).
The actress who played Mo-Eum was winsome and likable, but she overacted. I liked her, so I liked the character. But I couldn't warm toward Seok-ryoo in this drama--she was just too arbitrary and cruel.
Let me just mention one other minor character, the ML’s mother. This woman loved her son, but she allowed someone else to raise him. She loved her husband, but she never learned to cook. Instead she’s had a wonderful, professional life–traveling the world and learning about other cultures. And how does this series present this unique woman? As someone who deserves punishment, someone who’s about to lose it all--friends, family, and her marriage. The subtext is clear–if insulting to modern women.
The incessant, in-your-face product placement disappointed me the most. I thought episode 11 was bad, but in episode fourteen, one of the leads actually shows the label on the can to the camera and says, "I had no idea alcohol tasted this good."
There were at least three major bouts of alcohol consumption (and product placement) in episode 14. Apparently, the writers aren't even trying to be subtle.
Nothing against alcohol here, but I really resent the cheap commercialization. Hey Studio Dragon (and you too Netflix)--please don't go down this path.
Why are Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min who are both incredible actors damaging their artistic reputations this way?
Throughout, the writers created trivial excuses and pretexts for various main characters to go on a bender. Whatever the problem–minor spats, bad news–hey, let’s all get drunk. It just seemed like the writers were looking for any chance to push the products.
Still...until the whole series fell apart toward the end, it was mostly watchable. The leads did a good job and hit all the right notes for a good, solid romance. I wasn't looking for high art, but the constant (and obvious) viewer manipulation ruined this one for me.
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