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This review may contain spoilers
Healing Through Patience & Love is Truly the Best Thing
I've wanted to see ZLH in a modern drama for a while now and though he had those before, only after he shot to stardom after his roles in MJTY and KP, did more audiences see him as a versatile actor. This drama was a perfect offset of all of his previous roles because it was calming, relaxing, while showing how love grows naturally. Healing through patience & love was truly the best thing.
Pros: This was such a lovely and fun in a subtle way series. I loved how every episode started with a particular TCM ingredient and it was explained how it worked and then it was incorporated into that episode for better or for worse. Both leads had their fair share of pain to go through and heal from and they found those ingredients if you will in each other. The ML or HSY was definitely the more mature and wise of the two. FL or SXF met him in the first episode just as she was going through a rough patch with her asswipe soon to be (like in the next episode) ex boyfriend. Due to the fact that all of the stress from that, work, etc, caused her insomnia, she was recommended to the neighborhood TCM doctor and that's how they met. Fate or the universe couldn't be more perfectly aligned for that meeting. For him it was like at first sight and this was he fell first and hard and it took her a much longer time to realize her feelings.
Let's not forget their chemistry! Well we all know ZLH can get it done; even XRH said that he is an eye-showing actor; so he shows you how he feels with his eyes before he says the words. But their kisses and even hugs were all that and then some! It got warm in my room quick lol! I also loved that she initiated a lot of their make out sessions and didn't just wait to be kissed. That was a lot more natural than the woman just standing there as the man goes in.
Their lives and romance were immediately intertwined because they also happened to live in the same neighborhood. He was the gentle healing soul that always told her to take her time and learn to love herself while he took care of the rest. He was literally the perfect man. You can call this a slow burn because it took her quite some time and funnily enough a push from her aggressive, arrogant ex to get her to understand what her heart and soul had known for a long time; that the right person was in front of her and next to her the entire time.
Though there was a third wheel in here, she was after the ML and once he found out what her thoughts were, he cut the cord quick. He wanted to be with one woman only. This was a mature romance with great characters. Not a single one took up space or needed to be tossed off a cliff. There was comedy especially the references to certain characters and series the actors actually played in was a great way to both promote those series and give it a real world feel. The leads way of expressing love was through flowers, sachets, nature, and cooking not always words and that was for the most part a great and symbolic thing.
The way they helped each other with things as well as their friends did; her bestie cleared the confusion of why XF rejected SY's confession in the first place; that it was out of fear not that she didn't care. Meanwhile, XF helped reconcile SY with his father towards the end after many years of estrangement. SY helped heal XF's existential identity crisis post breakup and made her stronger in her convictions not just as she even pointed out "an obedient dog that would follow your every command." I loved the united front that the parents and SY showed against the ex as he was kicked out of their house and also at the hotel, where even the GM stood up to him along with her two best friends and some other hotel staff.
All of the supporting characters were great! XY and LYS who were friends for 10 years and loved each other just as long but only got together after XF's constant pushing and prodding. XF's parents were funny and so great and supportive. All dramas should have parents like them. SY's grandfather was just awesome and comedic in a good way; when the families blended it was a very strong unit. SY's interns especially LJ are funny as well as the dude that's always single and his patients. You can see who all matters to them from who's invited to their wedding in the last episode. And the wedding was lovely especially the choreographed dance of the leads in the heart made out of flowers.
OSTs, extra info on TCM, sets though modern, we're all lovely and fit. For him the symbol of love was that keychain ring she gave him to ward off matchmakers and for her it was the satchet.
Cons: Though very few I did have some issues. For starters, the FL had this annoying tendency to go all deer in headlights when she was around him and couldn't say a single declarative sentence and that got kind of annoying. Because when she had to ask him questions about TCM or things she was interested in or talk to her friends or at work, she could just babble forever. But simple conversations were hard won. And at 27, you should be able to speak like an adult all the time. Glad that once she realized her feelings and they got together, she "grew up" so to speak.
The old people clothing, I don't understand. Both leads wore clothes that were suitable for their parents and grandparents and you could see them wear that. I don't know why in modern dramas they do this to young adults making them look so elderly with the wardrobe. Only when at work and they had to wear a uniform or a suit did they dress their age.
Felt the ending was a bit rushed with her mom's illness and her again having thoughts of studying abroad. Also the fact that at the wedding SY said this whole monologue of things and XF said maybe a sentence or two felt uneven. They could have placed the illness somewhere else and then made her studying abroad, returning and having their wedding so much smoother. That's it.
Would I recommend it? I totally would. This was a breath of fresh air and homey and so nice like a warm hug at the end of a long day. A simple romance with symbolism, meaning, and a bit of humor. Definitely the best thing.
Pros: This was such a lovely and fun in a subtle way series. I loved how every episode started with a particular TCM ingredient and it was explained how it worked and then it was incorporated into that episode for better or for worse. Both leads had their fair share of pain to go through and heal from and they found those ingredients if you will in each other. The ML or HSY was definitely the more mature and wise of the two. FL or SXF met him in the first episode just as she was going through a rough patch with her asswipe soon to be (like in the next episode) ex boyfriend. Due to the fact that all of the stress from that, work, etc, caused her insomnia, she was recommended to the neighborhood TCM doctor and that's how they met. Fate or the universe couldn't be more perfectly aligned for that meeting. For him it was like at first sight and this was he fell first and hard and it took her a much longer time to realize her feelings.
Let's not forget their chemistry! Well we all know ZLH can get it done; even XRH said that he is an eye-showing actor; so he shows you how he feels with his eyes before he says the words. But their kisses and even hugs were all that and then some! It got warm in my room quick lol! I also loved that she initiated a lot of their make out sessions and didn't just wait to be kissed. That was a lot more natural than the woman just standing there as the man goes in.
Their lives and romance were immediately intertwined because they also happened to live in the same neighborhood. He was the gentle healing soul that always told her to take her time and learn to love herself while he took care of the rest. He was literally the perfect man. You can call this a slow burn because it took her quite some time and funnily enough a push from her aggressive, arrogant ex to get her to understand what her heart and soul had known for a long time; that the right person was in front of her and next to her the entire time.
Though there was a third wheel in here, she was after the ML and once he found out what her thoughts were, he cut the cord quick. He wanted to be with one woman only. This was a mature romance with great characters. Not a single one took up space or needed to be tossed off a cliff. There was comedy especially the references to certain characters and series the actors actually played in was a great way to both promote those series and give it a real world feel. The leads way of expressing love was through flowers, sachets, nature, and cooking not always words and that was for the most part a great and symbolic thing.
The way they helped each other with things as well as their friends did; her bestie cleared the confusion of why XF rejected SY's confession in the first place; that it was out of fear not that she didn't care. Meanwhile, XF helped reconcile SY with his father towards the end after many years of estrangement. SY helped heal XF's existential identity crisis post breakup and made her stronger in her convictions not just as she even pointed out "an obedient dog that would follow your every command." I loved the united front that the parents and SY showed against the ex as he was kicked out of their house and also at the hotel, where even the GM stood up to him along with her two best friends and some other hotel staff.
All of the supporting characters were great! XY and LYS who were friends for 10 years and loved each other just as long but only got together after XF's constant pushing and prodding. XF's parents were funny and so great and supportive. All dramas should have parents like them. SY's grandfather was just awesome and comedic in a good way; when the families blended it was a very strong unit. SY's interns especially LJ are funny as well as the dude that's always single and his patients. You can see who all matters to them from who's invited to their wedding in the last episode. And the wedding was lovely especially the choreographed dance of the leads in the heart made out of flowers.
OSTs, extra info on TCM, sets though modern, we're all lovely and fit. For him the symbol of love was that keychain ring she gave him to ward off matchmakers and for her it was the satchet.
Cons: Though very few I did have some issues. For starters, the FL had this annoying tendency to go all deer in headlights when she was around him and couldn't say a single declarative sentence and that got kind of annoying. Because when she had to ask him questions about TCM or things she was interested in or talk to her friends or at work, she could just babble forever. But simple conversations were hard won. And at 27, you should be able to speak like an adult all the time. Glad that once she realized her feelings and they got together, she "grew up" so to speak.
The old people clothing, I don't understand. Both leads wore clothes that were suitable for their parents and grandparents and you could see them wear that. I don't know why in modern dramas they do this to young adults making them look so elderly with the wardrobe. Only when at work and they had to wear a uniform or a suit did they dress their age.
Felt the ending was a bit rushed with her mom's illness and her again having thoughts of studying abroad. Also the fact that at the wedding SY said this whole monologue of things and XF said maybe a sentence or two felt uneven. They could have placed the illness somewhere else and then made her studying abroad, returning and having their wedding so much smoother. That's it.
Would I recommend it? I totally would. This was a breath of fresh air and homey and so nice like a warm hug at the end of a long day. A simple romance with symbolism, meaning, and a bit of humor. Definitely the best thing.
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