Eleison

This was so heartwarming! Lee Gun was a refreshing take on a chaebol heir especially for this era of Kdramas (though his laugh is... something else). Jang Nara is as cute as always in this! In terms of feel and plot, it gave me vibes (and in some ways reminded me) of Go Back Couple, Oh My Venus and Goong.

It had some serious themes it wrestled with such as abortion and miscarriage, which made for pivotal moments for characters to make tough decisions. I liked that it highlighted how hard these situations can be and didn't make light of them. It was moving to see characters take responsibility for their actions and put the lives of those that depended on them first over their own goals, hopes and wishes, and then see them reap the future rewards of doing so. A sweet display of selflessness!

Like some others who've commented before me, my biggest gripe was how long Gun's noble idiocy lasted. It stretched from Episodes 12-17, and while I like how they resolved it (it was quite a lovely realization!), it could have been handled in an episode or two but was somehow stretched to six (one plus from these six unnecessary episodes of agony is Gun does get a much-needed haircut in Episode 13!). 😬 But, that said, the first half is strong and the ending is adorable. A fun, sweet watch!

P.S. There were at least two places where they played an iconic BGM (i.e. background music) from The Princess Diaries (Anne Hatheway) and it was apt; it brought back all my childhood nostalgia! Not sure how many Koreans in 2014 would have been familiar with the Disney movie, but it makes it more fun if you know what it's from because they play it for a similar scene in the drama as they do in the movie. 😍

Haha, oh! Then yeah, I can see why you'd say that. :)

??? You mean because of the Joseon town existing in the middle of the modern world? More like the Amish, I would say? And instead of religious pressure as the motivating factor for maintaining this way of life, in this story it's portrayed more like this village preserves a way of life and the past's culture for Korea, like a living museum. It definitely requires some suspension of disbelief (e.g. how are they allowed to maintain the Joseon hierarchy?), but somehow, so far, they're making it work.

Also, I'm not LDS, but I just thought I'd point out that polygamy is only found in extremist Mormon sects (like the FLDS) that are basically rejected by mainstream Mormons and are considered legit cults and scams (like those frequently featured in Kdramas).

Whoa, I'm shocked that the number of watchers is so low on this. When I started diving into research on which dramas were classics/the best to watch, this one always came up as one of the best crime thriller/mystery/detective dramas. Would have thought it'd be higher!

I loved Jung Eun Ji in Sassy Go Go (much better in that than Reply 1997, imo) and Choi Jin Hyuk was great in Tunnel. I thought Jin Hyuk was older, but he's only 38! 😂

I might after I finish what I'm watching and if it seems to end well.:)

Thank you!

Thanks!

I think my favorite role of Jang Ki Yong (where I was captivated most by his acting) was when he played the loan shark in My Mister. He wasn't a good character, but he almost got me to like him because he played him really well. Everything else I've seen him in I thought he did just okay. Does he shine in this like in My Mister?

Yes, I agree. If someone is mentally ill (and they maybe can't tell but others can and have pointed it out to them) and they have people who rely on them and need them, these folks have a responsibility to get help so they can be there for those that need them. Depression/mental illness existing or not, they are still culpable for neglecting those they are responsible for.

Agreed! I'm not done with it yet, but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far (up to Episode 10 or so?). The quirkiness is kind of refreshing.

This is a great assessment! If you do a review, you should incorporate this post somehow. :)

It's interesting that you juxtaposed the Joseon caste system against office hierarchy--what a fascinating point! A commenter on this thread a few days ago pointed out they thought it was ridiculous for Seongsan Village to be allowed to still have servants (and thought it was unrealistic; I also struggle to see how they can keep up that lifestyle completely--what are the perks of a Joseon-era lifestyle, and why must the complete lifestyle and social structure be preserved in order to preserve the cultural heritage? 🤔) and I think your point is a good comeback to that criticism; doesn't office hierarchy have some overlap? They aren't actually that different (as portrayed in Korea here) on closer inspection.

Not a huge fan of former teacher/student noona romances because it weirds me out as an educator, but since this one is between adults who USED to be a student/teacher six years or so in their past, I can stomach it. ICHYV (loved that one!) worked for me due to their childhood connection and because they were neighbors, and not a mentor/mentee.

Also want to see where this goes!

Ack, that's how Extraordinary You ended, too. Didn't care for it. I am not a fan of those endings.

Yeah, I know so little about local government even where I live, that while some of it was lost on me some of it was really interesting to learn.

I thought the deciding factor for the tied vote was hilarious: "If there's a tie, the position goes to the older candidate." 🤣 "In America, this kind of rule would be nonsense!" 😂😂

He does support her, but in the first half it's VERY subtle and the little things he does are easy to miss. They also have such a hardcore frenemy vibe that I could almost believe he actually didn't like being around her, but on more careful inspection that was not the case. I think he was dismissive of her because he knew he'd still get to see her because they worked together and she wouldn't be cowed by his behavior. They're bickering constantly but actually enjoy one another, which is shown as they move past the bickering to playful and affectionate banter.

I would like to speak to the point about people in a huge city running into each other. Two thoughts:

1) I visited Seoul last spring and saw several different groups of the same random people MULTIPLE times in completely different parts of the city; I thought it was hilarious since everyone talked about how that doesn't happen in real life but always happens in Kdramas. Haha, not in my "real-life" experience of Seoul!

2) My impression of Seoul is that it is divided into districts that operate like little bubbles/spheres where everyone goes through their routine in their district since it's such a huge city. Since there's a big walking culture and the significant use of public transport, there would be ample opportunities to run into the same people in your sphere/bubble and that have a similar routine as you. In the U.S., we all drive cars, so of course it will be harder to run into people we know, so it's harder for us to imagine. I actually think it's not as uncommon as people might think! It does happen a lot in this drama, and while it's excessive for reality, I don't think it's ridiculously far-fetched.

This actually reminds me a bit of Sungyunkwan Scandal, come to think of it. So many similarities with the ML and FL's characters and the way the ML falls for the FL after admiring her values, principles and strengths after a few rough first impressions. I need to find a way to add it to the recommendations (it does remind me of Ms. Hammurabi, too, but despite this drama's FL being kind of crazy, haha, I still like her better than the FL in Miss Hammurabi; I don't think that screenwriter knows how to write female characters).

Also, the ML writes off his father and is willing to stand up to him when they disagree and find his own path in politics without his dad's help/influence, which again is similar to Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Of course, the main difference is the whole FL cross-dressing plot since the FL couldn't be involved in government affairs as a woman.

I kind of think this was commenting on the way men usually take the lead in politics and society and the women support behind the scenes out of the limelight. I think they're flipping that script by having the FL in the limelight and the ML support her behind the scenes. I liked it! The FL was a lot, but from the start the ML knew she meant well and had a big heart. She's just a weirdo in expressing herself. 😂 He could hold fast and be stubborn and put his foot down, too, when he wanted to so he wasn't a pushover. And under the prickles he's compassionate, sensitive and tender-hearted and she pulled all that tenderness out of him. I thought they did a pretty seamless transition from their frenemy stage to falling for each other, too. It didn't feel jarring or out-of-nowhere.

Wait, Sun Jae loses his memories? 😭 The comments are scaring me! What was the point of Episode 10 ending, then? 🤦‍♀️ I'm gonna wait until this ends to finish the last four episodes cause I can't drag this out unless I know I'll get some permanent happy.

This guy apparently hasn't figured out what rom-com Kdramas are. 🤷‍♀️ Either he just loves being a contrarian (some people take so much delight in being negative) or he's a glutton for punishment. 😂 Maybe both!

I blocked him because he drove me nuts on the WTS page months ago, but, fun fact, the block feature doesn't work with the app... so I still see his posts. 😭