KevinToronto

For the record, we all recognise that each of us has our own unique blend of likes and dislikes. That being said, you readily admit that you dropped the programme after just 2 episodes. But, you feel the need to write a dissertation-length treatise on what is wrong with those two episodes, and by extension, the series.

Then you write an additional comment with TRUST ME its [episode 1] LITTERED with SPOILERS!!!

And you justify all of this in the name of "free speech"!

Fine, you do not like it (verging on detesting it). That is your prerogative. However, why not just say that do not like it and have dropped it. Why not let other people start watching it and decided for themselves whether it is worth watching?

As for the comment about a "medically trained doctor" not recognising clinical depression, I would direct you to my comment from earlier this week where I quoted my daughter, who is fully qualified and practicing surgeon: "Doctors and surgeons [in Canada] have some of the highest levels of depression and alcoholism amongst the professions". Is it possible that doctors and physicians do not recognise the symptoms of diseases and conditions in areas that they do not deal with? I would say, yes.

I think that part of the problem is that the series is not progressing along the normal story lines. My experience with other programmes is that story lines are often shown "together", which makes a "first one, then the other" scenario an outlier and that might be problematic for some.

The first half focused on Jeong-woo's situation. I suspect/hope that the second half will focus on Ha Neul's situation and its resolution. Episode 8 marked a transition point, for me, at least. Perhaps the last episode will focus on the two of them moving on and starting to enjoy life together?

Safe to say that there are many of us who are hoping that SH was the ultimate culprit and that this results in her getting properly and fully punished.

Absolutely not. The show is secretly sneaking into your closet to get tips on how people in the real world dress. :-)

Apologies, I should have been a little clearer. I was referring to the fact that we are not seeing any scenes in her apartment, as I felt it was a drama "mechanism" to show Hyo Shim and Tae Ho discovering how to be themselves away from the poisonous families.

Perhaps, the newly announced 51 episode will end with the two of them creating their life together in that apartment (yes, I am a hopeless romantic).

No one will disagree with the comment about product placement and sponsorship (I never knew that Subway and Quiznos were so popular). That being said, alcohol consumption is an increasing part of Korean culture. Here are some quotes from two academic papers that I found on the U.S. NIH website:
"Daily alcohol consumption increased from 8.37 g in 1998 to 14.98 g in 2016–2018 (p for trend < 0.001). The degree of the increasing trend was higher for women (2.09 g to 5.79 g) than men (14.78 g to 23.94 g) from 1998 to 2016–2018. Alcohol intake was highest in men aged 30–49 years and women aged 19–29 years. ... Lastly, the alcohol intake from soju and beer was dominant in alcohol consumption and escalated over time."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752144/#:~:text=Approximately%2050.8%25%20of%20men%20and,all%20alcohol%20consumption%20%5B2%5D.

"Approximately 50.8% of men and 26.9% of women reported binge drinking [consuming 7 or more standard drinks (7–8 g of pure alcohol) in 1 drinking session for men or 5 for women] in the past month [2]. In Korea, 20% of drinkers are binge or excessive drinkers, and are responsible for 66% of all alcohol consumption [2]."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752144/#:~:text=Approximately%2050.8%25%20of%20men%20and,all%20alcohol%20consumption%20%5B2%5D.

So, I think that the writer and producers have done their research and are accurately reflecting the reality in Korea at the moment, even if it is a self-destructive reality.

I agree that the loss of her apartment is disappointing. Would it be too much to hope that it will actually be portrayed as the starting martial home. A symbolic sign that the two leads have moved on from their respective dysfunctional families?

@Kathryn_51 Can I say that I am pleased with the positive developments in Tae Min's character and story line. It would have been easy, and lazy, to have him remain aloof (or even become more antagonistic) towards Tae Ho. The increasing connection and trust between the brothers sets up an interesting dynamic regarding "nature vs nurture". I noted that SH stated she had raised him and that nurture was more important than nature.

@Suzy, there is big difference between advising something and not allowing it.

Several people have commented about the issue of excessive drinking when on anti-depressants portrayed on the show. Yes, this is something many patients are told by their physicians, and will see on many of the contra-indication warnings given with prescriptions. I strongly suspect that many patients pay little or no attention to the warnings. Physicians are human, so I have to believe that they will be equally liable to ignore the warnings.

However, my daughter is a a surgeon and I chatted with her about the depression aspect of the show last weekend. One of her comments was "Doctors and surgeons [in Canada] have some of the highest levels of depression and alcoholism amongst the professions". I doubt that the Korean health system is any less stressful than the Canadian one.

Given the above, I have to ask whether the drama depiction of a physician ignoring the proven risks and drinking alcohol at abusive levels on a regular basis is so unrealistic? Perhaps the writer has actually done their research and knows that physicians regularly do the very thing that they tell their patients not to do. Are we projecting a fallacious belief that physicians will always do the right thing and follow their own advice?

Personally, I like the fact that the series started with both leads facing major crises in their lives. But then the first half focuses on resolving one of the crises, with (hopefully) the second half resolving the other one.

I think that we will find out that Ha Neul's depression has been around for much longer than expected. The part about scenes about her father seemed to be a critical aspect. She had been living in a "bubble" (like every other child) where nothing changed, and everyone (parents especially) would always be there for her.

The loss of her father and not being able to say anything to him at the end must have been deeply traumatic, and I think that was the trigger event. Since then, she has poured herself into work and succeeding there. Hopefully, Jeong Woo will be the character to help her properly and openly grieve in order to heal the wound.

As for Kyung Min, I really hope that here was no romantic relationship with Ha Neul, and that he is a sleazy man who used a junior (female) to do all the work in order to succeed. In that case, he would be following the lead of the head of the department. Ideally, evidence of his "theft" of Ha Neul's work will surface shortly before his wedding and his carefully planned life falls apart.

I know that many do not like Hong Ran because she seems to engage her mouth long before her brain. I am not too concerned about that because it is a little refreshing to have a character that puts things on the table when everyone else is often holding back something important.

We are essentially 80% finished and there are three characters who are beyond redemption, IMO: Choi Myung Hee - Taking a child from its mother is bad enough, but to give it to the sister-in-law to ensure traditional bloodlines is reprehensible.
Lee Seon Soon - She has spent over 20 years coercively controlling her children, especially Hyo Shim, with little regard to their needs.
Jang Sook Hyang - Somehow she built up enough power to "hide" her mother-in-law for 3 years, and to consolidate enough power within Taesan to control things.
Unfortunately, I suspect that only one (SH) will receive the full punishment she deserves. As some

Hyo Shim has shown a lot of character growth but that seems to have gone by the wayside, as she has now moved back into her mother's apartment and is constantly cooking for her.

Tae Hee is the character who has shown the greatest amount of strength. I hope the series gives her a really positive ending.

As some might have noticed, all 5 characters are female and that disappoints me. I am divided on whether it is positive that there are 5 prominent female characters, or it is negative because 3 of them are so unpleasant.

I would have liked to comment more on the male characters but for the most part they are bland filler-like.

That being said, I have liked the programme as an introduction to the long weekender style, and am hoping for some interesting resolutions over the final 7 or 8 episodes.

The other fact to remember is that SH (Tae-min's titular mother) was looked down on by Myunghee because she was a lowly book keeper. [Mind you, keeping the issue of sterility a secret if she had been a chaebol family's daughter would have been impossible.

There has been some speculation regarding the reason why. First, people have noted that the friend (Kyung-min) got the promotion instead of Ha-neul, which would be reason enough to not like the person. Second, there was some speculation there was (personal) history between the two of them. Third, some have posited that Ha-neul knows that Kyung-min is not to be trusted and does not understand why Jung-woo does not see it.

Time will tell, hopefully.

@Kathryn_51 I would agree that Tae Min has to viewed through a different lens given the discovery of his real parents. However, that does not absolve him from some of the things he has done previously. When you say he has not abused anyone, I would point out that early on (episode 7 or 8) he told Hyo-Shim that she could train Tae Ho and they would do something else. He immediately followed that up by telling her that she did not have to think about it, as he (Tae Min) would decide everything. Sorry, but that is abuse in my opinion. Also, he had the car wreck destroyed without talking to Tae Ho about it. To identify, just two examples.

As for Tae Ho, I think people might have missed that he was sent to the U.S. when he was still in school (and not even high school). How can he not resent and curse Tae Min, who stayed and benefited from being the first born grandchild? And my recollection of the art gallery discussion was that Tae Ho was talking in the past tense regarding his resentment, and he offered to "slowly" build a bridge to Tae Min.

I appreciate that everyone sees stories through their own personal perspective, and yours and mine are clearly different.

Yes, if you are looking for a funny show that is just light entertainment and does not require a lot of deep thought. The best description for me is that it is an "amuse-bouche" show.

You are correct, but this is about ensuring that succession is maintained through the bloodline. Who cares about which set of parents raise the child, so long as it is still within the family.

I am loving this show. It is showing the developing relationship at a gentle pace, even though we are only at episode 5. So far nothing has felt forced or rushed; it is just "natural". The two actors have been fabulous to watch, and the facial expressions are so spot on.

Another thing that I have loved is the subtle way it has been approaching the pressure and stress experienced by medical professionals, and the negative impact on their mental health. I suspect that at least one episode will be focused on Yeo Jung-woo's PTSD, independently of any resolution of the crime story. Or, at least, I hope.

I know that some people are not comfortable with the excessive drinking when using anti-depressants, and that is valid. However, in real life, doctors are notorious for not looking after themselves (as has been alluded to in the show), so is it too far fetched for a doctor to drown their sorrows while looking at the world through the bottom of a soju bottle?

As for the second leads, I do not expect an equivalent amount of screen time to that of the primary couple. I did note the elevator scene, and suspect that we will have an introduction through the children.

Finally, the crime aspect of the show, for me, is the weakest part. After this episode, I am wondering if there is actually two parts to it. The death of the Macau heiress and the surveillance of the clinic. Whatever is the case, I fear that resolving this/these will take up a significant amount of future episodes, taking away from the development of the main and secondary couples.

I have enjoyed the show so far, but fear that the battle with the big bad law firm and step-mother over the nephew will come to dominate. If the story is going in that direction, why put in the lighter, friends focused comedy? The gap between the two aspect is too wide fro my liking.

Am I the only person who finds the sudden transformation of the top intern annoyingly suspicious? In the snippets at the end of Ep. 4, I thought I heard "I have placed someone in the office", and I immediately thought of the intern.