Weird
A mostly well-conceived, but weird, drama - 8 starsThe first sentence of FAMILIAR WIFE blew my mind. And not in a good way.
We hear a newscaster proclaim the following: “The planet Wolf, 68 light years from Earth, ahead of its extinction, is rapidly becoming a black hole.”
As a science writer, all I can say is, “NO! NO! NO!” Black holes are never, EVER caused by the “extinction of a planet,” imminent or otherwise. To be clear, large stars occasionally collapse into black holes, but never planets.
Nor are exo-planets given names like “Wolf”. (Look up HD 20794d or K2-18b)
The rest of the newscaster‘s report explains that there may be a “change between the Earth’s and Moon’s calendars,”which--excuse me for pointing this out--is absurd gobbledygook.
Hey writers! This kind of thing should have been tweaked.
BUT...to change the focus a bit here--the rest of this series is mostly quite good. I’d even call it a hidden gem--not counting the last four episodes which seem to exist only for the sake of product placement.
The drama focuses on the daily crush of ordinary life and the toll it takes on well-intentioned human beings. How marriages get destroyed. How people forget to be kind and considerate.
As for the acting, the two leads do a fine job, and a number of skillful actors are showcased in minor roles.
In every office there’s someone who marches to a different drummer, and in this office that’s Kim Hwan. Kudos to the writers for imagining him and to Cha Hak Yeon (N) for bringing him to life.
One of my favorites, Lee Jeong-eun, plays the FL’s slightly demented mother. If you want to see what a masterful actor this woman is, watch OUR BLUES, another outstanding K-drama.
I’ll just mention two weird things about the plot--although there are others:
1) How come (except for one scene near the beginning) neither of the main characters seem at all interested in the fate of their two children. These poor kids have been zapped into nothingness due to the ML’s need to change wives. The fact that they’re never mentioned again is downright weird.
2) From episode 9 or 10 onward, everyone suddenly starts wearing stripes–striped shirts, striped blouses, a striped jacket. Why?
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Pluses and Minuses
On the whole--not too bad. While the story lacked emotional power, the plot was internally consistent and displayed some character development. In spite of being slow-moving, HIDDEN LOVE held my interest.BUT– lots of problems...
The FL acted like an overly-protected child for 3/4 of the series – collecting stuffed animals, expressing herself in words of one syllable, using the cadence and syntax of a six-year-old, and getting by on her cuteness. Really, Chinese writers? Is that the model you want girls to emulate? This same actress played a real bada$$ in WHO RULES THE WORLD.
Zheyuan Chen, the male lead, had a more nuanced role and was, for the most part, the glue that held the series together. Props also go to Victor Ma, as the brother.
This series, like others of the same kind, give girls an entirely unrealistic picture of what real relationships are like–and how they’re likely to go. But I appreciated the depiction of a slow-moving relationship, and what a relationship like that “could” be–if only they existed.
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Required a flow chart...
...to really get the details of what was going on. And a spread sheet would’ve come in handy too.The time travel elements were confusing, even for people like me who read a lot of a time travel novels. The trajectory of characters going backwards and forwards in time wasn’t always clear.
Two characters were sharing bodies with other characters in at least three time periods. One character, with two different names but a single identity, was hopping back and forth between decades and even managed to get together with himself at one point–so the two of them (one of them?) could figure out what to do. AAAaaarrgh!
The dubbed English actors all spoke in monotonous voices, and the acting seemed stiff, awkward, and mechanical. It was a noble attempt–with a lot of problems. Five stars.
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Outstanding Cast
A-list Korean actors in this series save it from being another banal treatise on the excesses of the super rich. Kim Ji-won does an outstanding job as the brittle, cold, and superficial FL (Hong Hae-in) who is fabulously wealthy and--as it turns out--tough as nails. The ML, Kim Soo-hyun plays the kind, honest, handsome, athletic, intelligent Baek Hyeon-woo, who (for some reason) can’t get enough of Hae-in, who deigns to throw him a crumb now and then. In spite of the threadworn plot, the writing and acting give this drama a boost and elevate it to a higher level.
Unlike other Korean series, this one showcases some secondary characters who can actually hold the viewers’ interest.
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IF YOU LIKED IT...YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T READ THIS REVIEW
It's hard to believe a story about a family with superpowers could be so boring. With a couple of exceptions:What I liked:
1. The special effects were good. Don't want to give it away, so I won't mention specifics.
2. I really liked Bok Dong-hee, Gwi-ju's sister. She was hilarious and charming.
3. The father, Oh Man-seok, also plays the dad in SOMETHING ABOUT THE RAIN.
One of the reasons I like Oh Man-seok, other than his eternally cheerful demeanor, is because he's one of the few Korean actors in a major series with less than a lily-white complexion. Hey, Netflix, how about more brown-skinned Asian actors in your series? Thanks.
4. A satisfying ending.
What I didn't like:
1. My main problem is that this series lacks any logical coherence. Why is there an elaborate wedding--with no guests--mind you, when A) the groom didn't actually propose, and B) the bride never accepted the non-proposal? Did either of these two ever say "I love you"? Did I miss something? This is the stiffest, least-convincing marriage ceremony I've ever seen.
And each person in the family is aware that the marriage is a fraud, and an attempt to steal their money. And everybody goes along with it. Really?
2. Then there's the matter of the brother, Gwi-ju, who apparently needs to "save" someone. While at first, Gwi-ju is out to "save" a dude that he worked with, suddenly the target of his obsession changes.
He's now set on "saving" Do Da-hae, a woman who's moved into the house under suspicious circumstances.
But as Ms. Do points out to Gwi--ju, in a rare display of logical thinking--rare for this series anyway, she actually doesn't need saving as she's a healthy, fully functioning woman. Therefore she must have survived whatever horrible, no good, very bad thing happened to her in the past. You know, that thing that Gwi-ju has a bee in his bonnet about.
3. Firemen don't stand around giving speeches to someone they're trying to save while the building's going down-but someone does that in this drama.
4. The actress who plays Gwi-ju's daughter is adorable, but the romance between the character she plays and the most popular boy in the school is, well, hard to believe. This is middle school, folks.
TO BE CONTINUED... *************
Later: This series is so illogical it's impossible to suspend belief or care about anyone in this family. A couple of questions:
4. What exactly are the rules for Bok Gwi-joo's superpower? At first, he can only revisit times when he was happy-until Do Da-hae enters the picture. Then the rule changes: he can only revisit happy times when he was with her. But then the rule changes again-he goes back to a happy moment he shared with his classmates, without Do Da-hae. Then it changes again, he watches a happy moment between his mom and dad-but wait! A very young Do Da-hae rides by on her bike. Whaaa?
It feels like the writers made it all up as they went along.
5. What side of his neck is Bok Gwi-joo's mark on? Is it on the left? Is it on the right? On both sides? "They say it will never go away." Who said that? I don't remember anyone consulting a doctor.
The ending made up for a lot...but, but, but...why couldn't Mr. Time Travel come back on his own recognizance? It's not like he hasn't done it 1000 times.
Writers, you can do better!
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A Touching Drama
All in all, this was a very solid series.What I didn't like:
1. The music was intrusive and sometimes schmaltzy and sentimental.
2. The plot had touches of Hallmark hokiness.
3. At times, the writers pounded the message home with a lack of subtlety.
But what I did like far outweighs the negatives:
1. Convincing acting featuring likeable characters. The secondary characters were appealing and had interesting stories of their own, more than just placeholders.
2. This series showcased different kinds of human love-not just romantic or parental love-but love between friends, love between student and teacher, or siblings-and even love of craft.
3. In spite of a few false notes, this story was extremely effective. No easy answers to life's problems here. Just flawed human beings doing their best in an indifferent world. Touching but realistic
4. Unusual subject matter-how many ballet movies or series focus on male dancers? And the theme was an important one and worthy of the lengthy treatment it got here.
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OK...but not my favorite
The actors and characters are appealing, and I like that they feature a strong middle-aged woman as one of the leads. She even occasionally gets a few good lines, although basically she's there to play den mother to the rest of them. This series started as an interesting fantasy that turned into (yet another) variation on a police procedural. Too much school bullying and endless fighting scenes. The vision of the afterlife is unimaginative and ludicrous. Everything is white, including the file cabinets and there are some crazy rules: "We want you to catch the evil spirits who are embedded in bad, bad human beings, but, hey, don't get involved in human affairs." And what is all this stuff about the "territory" boundaries moving around. Nonsensical twaddle. I know the tousled, disheveled look is in, but it's not working for Ga Mo Tak. He needs a better hairdo.Was this review helpful to you?
Mr. Magic is a stud muffin...
I prefer series with a bit more depth than this one. It was a bit saccharine and sentimental, but for what it was - it worked. Even the sound track was enjoyable. I'm a sucker for magical special effects, so I was able to excuse the simplistic message and just enjoy the visuals. I know the poor kid didn't have a mother, but someone needed to tell Ah-Yi to keep her mouth closed and trim her bangs. For 4/5ths of the series she could have done with a personality transplant. She was a little too bland and vapid for my taste. On the other hand, Ji Chang-Wook more than made up for it. When he says, "Do you...believe...in...magic?" it's to die for.Was this review helpful to you?
Mature and engrossing
No glossy fairy-tale sentimentality here. This series starts as a multifaceted examination of love–showcasing its promise, its challenges, its various manifestations, insecurities, and difficulties.An amazing group of actors show us the pressures, problems, and power games experienced by a group of friends, all young adults, caught up in the ups and downs of romance – and its many complications.
The ML and the FL are both dedicated to discriminating what’s real from what’s bogus–but in different domains. The ML (played by Liu Yuning) specializes in sussing out authentic designer handbags from copies, whereas the FL tests various men to see if their romantic intentions are sincere–or not.
While the ML’s profession is considered reputable, the FL’s methods are a bit sleazy--veering off, at times, into techniques that could reasonably be called entrapment.
As for genuine, long-lasting love–is there any such thing? Or does love eventually deteriorate because of the many unavoidable pitfalls, problems, and contradictions? The drama asks the question, but never really provides an answer.
Edgy and quirky, a variety of experimental techniques mirror the ambiguity of the story telling. For example, indoor scenes are sometimes filmed with a gauzy filter, making it look as if they’re encased in fog
Gao Wei Guang, who plays Old Gong, adds humor and flair. He’s a reckless, creative, and toxic presence in the drama. As it turns out, he’s also someone who has a surprising moral sensitivity and capacity for friendship.
Unfortunately, the last few episodes really drag. For example, one couple’s divorce seem to go on forever. Other couples cycle in and out of their problems a few more times–I stopped caring about who was going to end up with whom.
Also the director completely changes the tone of the last episode–giving the whole drama a weird send off. I much prefer it when the writers choose the ending of the series themselves instead of asking the viewers to figure out what happens.
But altogether a surprising and innovative series.
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Poignant and engrossing
LOVE IN THE CLOUDS is the third fantasy in a row, starring Hou Ming Hao, that I’ve watched.In each of the other two dramas, Hou Ming Hao played a demon of sorts, but neither of those characters was as dark, nor as multidimensional, as Ji Bozai. Both those dramas, while entertaining, had moments of gauzy meaninglessness.
The plot of this drama was solid and believable in a way the other two weren’t. Hou Ming Hao seemed more relaxed, more compelling, and altogether more likable as a human being in LOVE IN THE CLOUDS. The plot never deteriorated into terminal silliness, and the secondary characters were appealing and impressive.
I had a particular soft spot for Situ Ling, the FL’s rejected lover/villain–who pulled at my heartstrings, even as he descended into evil. (How did I know he was evil? His irises turned red, of course.)
The writers and director seemed to have a clear vision of where they wanted this story to go–and they took it there.
As usual, this wasn’t a perfect drama. Yes, it dragged a bit in places. And I found the FL’s lies and deceptions tiresome and not too convincing. The OST consisted of one particular melody, played over and over and OVER again. While it was a lovely piece of music, the repetition was annoying and tedious. Still, overall, a strong production.
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One of the best
I’ve sometimes been critical of certain popular Korean or Chinese dramas. But I’m having a hard time finding anything negative to say about GO AHEAD, a 40-episode Chinese family drama made in 2020. It’s certainly not a perfect production. Still, it’s entertaining, interesting, and touching. And it dodges so many of the common traps that these kinds of series fall into, that all I can say is: Bravo!Most of the actors were impressive, especially the three male leads: Weilong Song who plays the older brother (and also the young actor who plays him as a child), Steven Zhang/ Zhang Xin Cheng who plays the younger brother, and especially Tu Song Yan the Dad, the owner of the noodle restaurant, where so much of the action takes place.
Whenever one of these three incredible actors was on screen, I was totally immersed in the drama, and emotionally convinced that I was watching a slice of reality and not a fictional work. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Yi Sun who plays the best friend of the FL. She’s convincing as a kind, generous, but inhibited young woman who’s oppressed by her overly-dominant mother.
I did have some problems with Songyun Tan, an actress in her 30s who plays the FL, Li Jianjian. For half the series this character is supposed to be sixteen years old. When playing a teenager, the actress seemed to be working too hard to make the character spunky, cute, and childlike. She came across as childishly petulant and performative way too much of the time. Also (as is often the case in older Chinese productions) she seemed more like a twelve-year-old than a sixteen-year-old, throwing whiny tantrums and hitting her brothers in fits of pique.
But I really can’t blame the actress. Because this is such a common problem in older Chinese dramas, I suspect it’s due to other considerations. Perhaps she was given instructions to play it that way from the director.
In the second half, when the same character is in her late twenties, Songun Tan is much more appropriate and believable in the role–more relaxed and also more likable–although still a fun-loving, cheerful tease.
The series got a little too sentimental for me in the end. “Emotions aren’t like a faucet where you can turn them on and off at will.” Too many bromides along with the schmaltzy music...but by and large the skillful acting sold it–so it was OK.
A winner.
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A few problems
I’m not sure exactly what’s wrong with WHEN DESTINY BRINGS THE DEMON, but this drama just didn’t land for me–partly because it’s so simpleminded. For example, when the demon army invades the Grandmaster’s stronghold in ep. 20, the demon fighters are all dressed in black. The good guys are dressed in white. Pretty convenient.There are many parallels in this story with LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL. There’s a dragon buddy in one, a snake buddy in the other. Fairies and demons fight each other in the first. Immortals and demons are at war in the second.
The female leads in each series are different. While Orchid is sometimes irritating in LBFAD, she’s also lovable, funny, and appealing, and she grows into a strong, impressive woman.
But the writers of WHEN DESTINY BRINGS THE DEMON infantilize Tingyan. She pouts and simpers and makes eyes at Jiao. Her goal is life is to eat, drink, and try on pretty clothes. It doesn’t hit home with her until about halfway through the series that her boy is a serial killer. Also, who is this woman? Is she a demon? a reincarnated human? or a fish?
What’s motivating the ML? Power? Revenge? The attainment of higher cultivation levels? Personal animus? The villains seem like a bunch of feckless, bungling clowns. It’s hard to take them seriously. Mostly they seem like a swarm of annoying insects buzzing around Jiao’s head. Every once in awhile he brushes them all away.
Arthur Chen as Sima Jiao is disarmingly handsome, but that’s not always an advantage for someone wanting to be taken seriously as an actor. His looks make him subject to everyone’s projections. Sima Jiao, is a pit of hatred, negativity and despair– in other words, a damaged soul.
The writers need to show us how someone who’s never known a kind word, can reach into his heart and find a boatload of self-sacrificing love for Liao Tingyan, a well-meaning, not-too-bright klutz. But character motivation is missing throughout. They don’t give Chen enough to work with, I’m sorry to say–so Sima Jiao’s transformation into Mr. Wonderful isn’t convincing. Or at least it wasn’t to me.
The comedy scenes in WDBTD are repetitious and not very funny. It’s cute that Liao Tingyan keeps using 21st century lingo and 9-to-5 work metaphors in her “employment” with her “boss,” but after the third or fourth time this device gets a little old.
The characters in this drama are always telling the viewers what’s happening: “Why isn’t the Grandmaster here? Looks like he’s figured out our plan.” Or, “If I can win the Grandmaster’s favor, perhaps I can help Mother through this crisis.” Weak writing.
The special effects and CG make many scenes seem low-budget.
My greatest wish for Arthur Chen is that he can find a substantial role that truly inspires him--maybe some kind of an eccentric character–a role that he can individualize and make his own. This drama doesn’t give him that.
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Entertaining
1. Of all the women our brilliant alien friend met in 400 years, a shallow, scatterbrained, selfish, vain narcissist was the ONE? Well, OK. She was a babe, no doubt about it. It would be nice if there was some explanation for it–other than hormones.2. Why do they keep talking about this dude’s original home as a“star”? Unless he can withstand temperatures of one million degrees F (or more)--to say nothing of the crushing gravity--my guess is that he comes from a planet, not a star.
3. In one episode Do Min-jun points to a bright point in the sky, obviously a “star,”and tells his startled Joseon acquaintance, “That’s where I come from.” Later, he tells Song-Yi who wants to know the same thing, “You can’t see it from here.” Which is it?
In one of the first episodes we hear that he comes from “another galaxy.” But any other galaxy, especially Andromeda our largest neighbor which is 2.5 million light years away, would look like a smudge in the sky, not a star.
4. Not to go all nerdy here, but there are some other problems too. Hey, Korean movie makers, get a science advisor.
5. Dangling plot points. What did the young girl who looked like Song-Yi, the one he met when he first came to Earth, have to do with anything? She’s totally irrelevant to the plot.
What I liked:
1. I thought this series was very funny in places. Often the humor in Korean Dramas doesn’t work for Americans. This series was an exception.
2. I came to like Song-Yi much, much more toward the end. She showed some really likeable characteristics. Loved her honesty and sensitivity.
3. I’ve seen reviews that were critical of Kim Soo-hyun’s acting in this drama–but I thought he was absolutely great. It’s true he was poker faced in most scenes, but he somehow communicated deceit, tenderness, anger, confusion, disdain, and a host of other emotions. And he did it all with an almost imperceptible change of expression.
4. The compositions of the various settings and the wardrobe choices were exquisitely done. That library in Do Min-joon’s house was to die for.
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Best Chinese Drama I’ve seen in 2025
I give high ratings to dramas that:1. Entertain me.
2. Teach me something.
3. Or have heart – the rarest.
This is a No. 3.
I can’t say this is a perfect production, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with the two leads (and also with many of the minor characters). This was a MUCH more appropriate role for Yinglu Wang, than her role in WHEN DESTINY BRINGS THE DEMON. She plays a strong woman with sensitivity and nuance. As for Yiran Zhou, he commanded every scene he was in.
Attention to detail really boosted the quality of this drama. The cinematography, the ost, the editing--all were outstanding. I usually don’t like an ending that doesn’t wrap things up neatly -- but, for me, this one worked perfectly. We see all the different sacrifices various characters make for love – and at the end, the most rigid character, makes the ultimate sacrifice. (Although maybe not..?)
Speaking of attention to detail, I read that FOUR orange cats were used in the making of this drama. Cats being cats, that helped ensure that at least one of them would always be in the right mood. Another endearing detail–a woman who’s nine months pregnant is the action hero who saves the day.
Loved it!
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No connection between leads
Some positives and some negatives. The story held my interest.Most of the energy in the script centered on the main conflict and the FL’s various problems. But the script just didn’t give the secondary characters, who were apparently supposed to be a group of lovable eccentrics, any good material to work with. The over-acting of the semi-hysterical principal, the scatterbrained dancer, the guy who was supposedly possessed by spirits, as well as some of others was painful to watch.
The male lead seemed warm and likeable, but the female lead was a bit cold and imperious. I didn’t feel much connection between the two of them. Couldn’t she have at least put her arms around him when they finally kissed? She acted as if she could barely stand to touch the poor guy.
By the way, teachers who specialize in early child education (kindergarten and pre-school) are committed, trained professionals, although no viewer would get that from this drama. A kindergarten teacher would never leave children unsupervised or allow random people to wander into the classroom. It would have been nice if we could have seen the FL actually teaching something (yep, there’s actually a curriculum) or doing something other than reading a picture book to the class–which any parent could do.
Not my favorite K-drama of the year.
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