Little Women is loosely based on the famous novel, the story of three sisters struggling in a poor household. The oldest sister, In Joo, is a bookkeeper, while the middle sister, In Kyung, is an intrepid TV reporter. Both are trying to support their younger sister, In Hye, a talented art student, without any help from their deadbeat parents. In Kyung has a long-time (male) friend, but the rest of the cast is mostly connected one way or another to a dark family business, the Jeongran Society.
The premise of the story, that these three sisters deal with their entanglement with this sordid business, is set up well. Each of the secondary characters has some role with the Jeongran Society, and the writing kept me interested in guessing who is doing exactly what (i.e., who is the Big Villain). But the two main characters, In Joo and In Kyung, are frustrating to watch. In Joo has gotten herself into an obviously perilous situation, which she apparently doesn't bother to discuss with her sisters, even though (among other things) she may be putting her family in danger. In Kyung is similarly reckless, possibly getting a couple of people killed. They both are completely clueless at times.
My wife and I got so frustrated that we nearly quit midway through. The writing does tighten up, and some of the glaring holes -- for example, why didn't this dangerous and powerful organization just kill these hapless sisters? -- do get some answers. And it feels oddly satisfying when a couple of friendly characters use In Joo's naivete to their advantage. Basically, the story recognizes the limits of its characters, and those limitations are not glorified.
I did come away with some questions with this show. Holy cow, is Korean law enforcement really this useless? Are Koreans really that concerned about the financial backgrounds of their co-workers? Where do all these dozens of corporate goons come from, and would they really keep gooning when it is obvious the corporation is falling apart? Just felt off here.
The show does have a few elements -- the recurring scenes with the blue orchids, the flashbacks for Korean soldiers in the Vietnam War (which got this show banned in Vietnam), In Joo's bizarre experience in Singapore -- that give a show a distinctive feel. So it's an interesting series, and a good watch, but the two leading characters are a bit too dim to make it a great show.
The premise of the story, that these three sisters deal with their entanglement with this sordid business, is set up well. Each of the secondary characters has some role with the Jeongran Society, and the writing kept me interested in guessing who is doing exactly what (i.e., who is the Big Villain). But the two main characters, In Joo and In Kyung, are frustrating to watch. In Joo has gotten herself into an obviously perilous situation, which she apparently doesn't bother to discuss with her sisters, even though (among other things) she may be putting her family in danger. In Kyung is similarly reckless, possibly getting a couple of people killed. They both are completely clueless at times.
My wife and I got so frustrated that we nearly quit midway through. The writing does tighten up, and some of the glaring holes -- for example, why didn't this dangerous and powerful organization just kill these hapless sisters? -- do get some answers. And it feels oddly satisfying when a couple of friendly characters use In Joo's naivete to their advantage. Basically, the story recognizes the limits of its characters, and those limitations are not glorified.
I did come away with some questions with this show. Holy cow, is Korean law enforcement really this useless? Are Koreans really that concerned about the financial backgrounds of their co-workers? Where do all these dozens of corporate goons come from, and would they really keep gooning when it is obvious the corporation is falling apart? Just felt off here.
The show does have a few elements -- the recurring scenes with the blue orchids, the flashbacks for Korean soldiers in the Vietnam War (which got this show banned in Vietnam), In Joo's bizarre experience in Singapore -- that give a show a distinctive feel. So it's an interesting series, and a good watch, but the two leading characters are a bit too dim to make it a great show.
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