This review may contain spoilers
Jolly Good Show
Firstly, I'm glad I watched it to the end, and I would recommend it to anyone still hesitant! My first ever dating show watch, and hopefully not the last. Please make more GL-dating content.
Now to give some criticisms;
There were many moments that almost made me drop this show out of frustration for all the misunderstandings/miscommunication that seemingly came from nowhere. But alas, I just had to step back and realise the cast members practically had no information and were going in blind for almost 80% of the show.
The love-note system remained ambiguous for too long, imo. If even couples who already confessed they like each other and write to each other can still misunderstand each other, then what's to say about receiving a note from someone you barely even know. Even when everyone got a chance to reveal 1 hidden note's sender, their reactions just boiled down to "Oh, it was her. Okay." because the feelings and emotions had already past, and each person had already vastly changed their minds by then. I thought the point of dating shows was to make time for everyone to get to know each other before even deciding who to even Start pursuing, yet by the time the one-on-one dates happened, everyone had already made their final decision simply because they ran out of time and didn't know the other candidates well enough. If only somewhere in the middle, everyone was told to confess who they're interested in openly, followed by some competition (if many chose the same person) or a mini-date with that person, more people would have known if their choice was correct early on, and would still have time to change their mind if the date didn't go well. I'm sad because Heeyeong seriously believed no one liked her right until the end, despite being the most beautiful and enchanting amongst them. And after Dagyo confirmed she was interested in her a bit at the start, all Heeyeong could do in that situation was latch onto a fleeting love interest.
Perhaps the show is aiming for more realistic portrayals of love (silent feelings/unrequited love/overthinking/misunderstandings, etc), but it could still benefit from adding more variety-show-like competitions and more open discussions on their interests and who they'd like to pursue. That way, even if Dagyo ended with several people wanting to get to know her (for curiosity’s sake), she should be allowed 1:1 dates with each person freely before deciding who to start pursuing seriously (for love's sake). The other candidates, if they don't get chosen by her, would be notified immediately and then be allowed to re-apply for dates with the other members, starting again from curiosity/compatibility before even pursuing love.
The ending also felt a little rushed and messy, but at least all the people I was rooting for seemed to have gotten something positive from this experience. I truly wish them all happiness and hope they find their true love.
Side note: I was not aware of any controversies while watching, so to see one member completely disappear from the show was pretty jarring. She's the first person we met and the one I was most curious about. Truly a shame, I wish they kept Riwon's scenes in as is, but be allowed to issue a notice on SNS somewhere stating they were unaware of her situation and hope the viewers will watch the show with an open mind. Separate the art from the artist.
Now to give some criticisms;
There were many moments that almost made me drop this show out of frustration for all the misunderstandings/miscommunication that seemingly came from nowhere. But alas, I just had to step back and realise the cast members practically had no information and were going in blind for almost 80% of the show.
The love-note system remained ambiguous for too long, imo. If even couples who already confessed they like each other and write to each other can still misunderstand each other, then what's to say about receiving a note from someone you barely even know. Even when everyone got a chance to reveal 1 hidden note's sender, their reactions just boiled down to "Oh, it was her. Okay." because the feelings and emotions had already past, and each person had already vastly changed their minds by then. I thought the point of dating shows was to make time for everyone to get to know each other before even deciding who to even Start pursuing, yet by the time the one-on-one dates happened, everyone had already made their final decision simply because they ran out of time and didn't know the other candidates well enough. If only somewhere in the middle, everyone was told to confess who they're interested in openly, followed by some competition (if many chose the same person) or a mini-date with that person, more people would have known if their choice was correct early on, and would still have time to change their mind if the date didn't go well. I'm sad because Heeyeong seriously believed no one liked her right until the end, despite being the most beautiful and enchanting amongst them. And after Dagyo confirmed she was interested in her a bit at the start, all Heeyeong could do in that situation was latch onto a fleeting love interest.
Perhaps the show is aiming for more realistic portrayals of love (silent feelings/unrequited love/overthinking/misunderstandings, etc), but it could still benefit from adding more variety-show-like competitions and more open discussions on their interests and who they'd like to pursue. That way, even if Dagyo ended with several people wanting to get to know her (for curiosity’s sake), she should be allowed 1:1 dates with each person freely before deciding who to start pursuing seriously (for love's sake). The other candidates, if they don't get chosen by her, would be notified immediately and then be allowed to re-apply for dates with the other members, starting again from curiosity/compatibility before even pursuing love.
The ending also felt a little rushed and messy, but at least all the people I was rooting for seemed to have gotten something positive from this experience. I truly wish them all happiness and hope they find their true love.
Side note: I was not aware of any controversies while watching, so to see one member completely disappear from the show was pretty jarring. She's the first person we met and the one I was most curious about. Truly a shame, I wish they kept Riwon's scenes in as is, but be allowed to issue a notice on SNS somewhere stating they were unaware of her situation and hope the viewers will watch the show with an open mind. Separate the art from the artist.
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