I'm going to get hate for this but I don't see any chemistry so far. Yes, they've drifted apart but there needs…
I actually quite liked the first episode, and the gender reversal (man taking the woman's usual role) was quite refreshing. But the second one felt disjointed, strangely awkward in places and stuffed with cliches. There are so many things going on but I'm not sure if I'm interested in the supporting characters. The chaebol family especially are coming across as one-dimensional antagonists.
I didn't expect the FL to actually have a terminal illness, and I can already tell it's just a plot device. Her having a traumatic experience that explains her behaviour is a very overused trope, but there are already so many cliches that I don't mind as long as they're executed well. But the presentation of her trauma was questionable at best. Like I get the point, do I really have to watch two repeated scenes of her being transported to some iceland in such a short time frame? Then the ending with him guarding her from a very fake CGI boar just threw me off. It's one of those cringey knight in shining armor scenes that can be endured if you're immersed enough the story. But it's just the second episode and it felt out of place. Did I mention a love rival in the preview when she's literally dying in a few months..? I don't know. It's really odd that a second episode can leave me with such mixed feelings when I actually enjoyed the premiere.
I'm going to get hate for this but I don't see any chemistry so far. Yes, they've drifted apart but there needs to be some tension, some complexities that define the relationship between two past lovers. I don't see it so I don't find myself curious about how they drifted apart. I don't feel any underlying emotions in their scenes. Even during their arguments, or when they're pushing each other away, there's no sense of irritation, resentment, disappointment or anything. They just looked like colleagues who can't get along. Of course it's just been 2 episodes and it could change, so I hope it improves.
When Shin Hye Sun cries it feels very real - there are awkward noises and skin reddening/swelling and, lets face…
Frankly her crying is so infectious that I no longer feel anything when watching crying scenes in other recent shows. Same for the senior actress playing her mother.
I don't usually go crazy over romantic chemistry, but I like what the leads have here. It's probably just my personal…
Not sexual at all 😂😂😂 Yeah yeah it's a family centric show but those were very tame kisses. I guess I'll take those over deep kisses with the leads looking reluctant or awkward af though. And I'd like to think they're saving the best kiss for the last episode.
I don't agree with you. Calling that argument "misogyny" is far from reality, because the criticism is not against…
You are right that sometimes main characters get a pass for questionable deeds. But for this show, I haven't seen the leads get away with anything particularly wrong. Okay, there is actually. Alcoholism, but it has toned down and that's a k-drama thing that needs to go away in general. Almost every character in this show is imperfect and that's the point, you see. Anyways, my point is that criticism of FL's character is fine and I even agree with some of it, but my issue is when people downplay those of the male characters at the same time.
I don't agree with you. Calling that argument "misogyny" is far from reality, because the criticism is not against…
Yes, perhaps my argument presented here isn't the most well-rounded. But I'm really just referring to a specific commentator that has time and again attacked the FL's character for pretty much everything she did, while defending male characters who have shown objectively wrong or worse behaviors, or call the writing of the male character 'unrealistic'. P.S, I too find the writing of this show to be flawed in some places. That's not my issue here.
It's one thing to say they don't like the FL. But the attacks on what FL did, particularly in terms of having a sexual life/multiple romantic relationships, were going completely overboard. Those are completely normal adult behaviors. And in general, I see a lot of prejudice towards female characters in k-dramas. Unfortunately coming from females themselves most of the time.
I mean, people are free to say whatever they want in the comments. It’s the internet after all. But it’s amusing whenever the comments say a lot about the commentator. Let’s see an example. When a male character is flawed, they blame the writing for making said character unrealistic, and insists that men won’t behave like that in real life. "The writer must have never interacted with men irl, because ALL men are completely loyal to their friends! They would never let a WOMAN ruin their friendship!!"
But when a female character has traits or behaviors they don’t like, it's a whole different story. "How dare she be emotional over her hardships, when male character A/B suffered more than her! How can someone like her possibly be fancied by 2 of the male characters??" (Notice how now, it's not about the writing of her character instead?)
Funny how misogyny leaks out even in a discussion section of a fictional work. Seriously, they pretend to be giving criticism when they're really just showing off how much prejudice they have towards women.
Wow, so many questionable and alarming statements in your comment... Inflicting your grief and pain onto others…
Yeah, I went a bit overboard with the cheating comment. It just bothered me that you said she was "having fun" with a team of boyfriends. Like she wasn't a victim of cheating herself.
FL's suffering is the starting point of the whole show. It is the reason she came back to her hometown. The FL's crying and drinking in the first couple of episodes does make sense because it is something she just went through. The other characters' past struggles, trauma and their way of coping has been presented in flashbacks. Idk why you are against someone going through a life-changing event behaving that way just because other characters suffered more.
You can say you don't like the story, but that doesn't mean the story doesn't make sense. The plot does not have to revolve around the character who suffers the most. If it does, it will be called Welcome to Sangtae-ri or Yongpil-ri lmao.
ML waiting like a simp and wimp for a woman who did not give a shit about him and dated other guys - the ML is…
Wow, so many questionable and alarming statements in your comment... Inflicting your grief and pain onto others for 18 years, over an accident, is NOT okay. It is very toxic. Especially when you have been actively destroying your own son's happiness for the past 8 years. He's also destroying his own life atp.
Is it wrong for the FL to enjoy the results of her own talent/hard work? No. Is it wrong for her to try to get over someone she thought she could never get back together with? No. Was she cheating on anyone by dating when she was single? No. Idk why you sound so against having multiple relationships as a grown 30+ yo woman.
And besides, why should suffering be comparative? You're sounding a lot like those elders who go "Our generation suffered so much more than you so you don't have the right to complain". Just because you think others suffered more trauma than her doesn't mean her struggles should be disregarded.
There was no point in the show where it tried to mask the other characters' pain in favor of the FL's. In fact, in case you missed it, the show isn't trying to tell a story of who's suffering the most. It's showing how different people face their adversities, sometimes in very wrong ways, and how refusing to face or overcome them affects people who love you and spreads the pain to them. The FL's scandal is simply the starting point for all these stories to unfold.
Yup! I noticed it too that she looked much better with bangs. But she is always or very often without bangs.
Haha, I personally think a high forehead is fine, and bangs sometimes cover up your most distinctive features. For her it's the eyebrows and face shape.
I'll defend Samdal this once from some of the comments here, on her attitude towards the scandal. She may be coming off as too weak or frustratingly kind but imo, she knows BEJ’s already on the downward spiral and is probably waiting for the right timing to expose the entire story. By then she’ll have more back up from people in the industry who witnessed her incompetence and attitude, and people who didn't dare to speak up before might start voicing out. It looked like she had a plan when she looked so at ease despite what happened in episode 12. Meanwhile she’s finding solace in her current life where she’s pursuing her passion in a non-competitive environment, and doesn’t see a need to pursue something that happened ages ago (who knows, maybe BEJ's mom was in it or she genuinely thought her daughter was being mistreated). Of course, I take that all back if the writer ends up making SD do absolutely nothing to defend herself. Although I doubt so.
I do think that the writing of the scandal arc is quite weak and cliche though. BEJ’s downfall is relying a lot on her own stupidity and lack of abilities. But people like her irl tend to be smarter and more wicked, and will easily trample on people like the FL. Then again, some suspension of disbelief is needed in every drama after all lol. And the scandal isn't quite what the essence of the drama is anyway.
Episode 11 was fun and unpredictable as a whole, but the beginning showing glimpses of the 3 sisters' backstories was unexpectedly sad. Looks like they're shifting focus from the parents to the sisters. Samdal has the freshest wounds but the other 2 suffered equally in the past. I will say that while the story of Jindal and her ex-husband is very unrealistic, they are cute and entertaining. For some reason I'm not as interested to see Haedal and the dolphin guy get together, probably because it's the least developed subplot. I love her daughter's scenes though.
I'm kind of interested to see how Sangdo's part will be resolved as well. I don't dislike him as much as others here do. He's a frustrating character, but he's actually a realistic case of how having a regretful and poverty-stricken youth affects you into adulthood. He clearly has very deep-rooted self esteem issues. It will be nice to see proper resolution here, so hopefully some communication happens soon.
In most of those scenes the watcher doesnt know its a monster. They have no idea that a monster could even exist.…
The scene I was referring to happened after both leads already met the monster face to face. I was dumbfounded that they just stopped in their tracks in the middle of running away from it.
The makers don't seem to know what a sense of urgency is. In other monster shows, people actually have normal reactions, aka they RUN for their lives while shouting at each other at the top of their lungs. But here it's like they can't talk without stopping in their tracks. And what's worse is that they talk reallyyy slowly. There was this scene where the door in front of them was about to be torn down by the creature, and they just stare and go, "What on earth is that thing?" I'm watching with my family and we all went, can't you tell that's a fvcking monster??!! I'm sure that conversation was more important than running to safety! 🤦♂️
Watching this drama is like eating army stew. The ingredients aka plot points are familiar to a lot of other shows. But it's comfortable to watch and it's quite easy to get attached to the characters despite their flaws or shortcomings. I also enjoy how their relationship flashbacks are presented as comfortable and spontaneous. Love doesn't have to be dramatic, it's just two people who happen to click with each other. I don't need slow-mos and shots of couples kissing in 20 angles. That kiss scene in the rain was simple but perfectly showed their puppy love at the time. I also like how they don't attempt to decorate the lives of ordinary people. People wear their everyday clothes and actually use their washing machines. Seriously, it's like the only drama I've seen this year where people dry their own clothes. The homes look like actual homes, not sets, with used things and some clutter. It's relatable to any middle class Asian.
What I do not like is the constant consumption of alcohol. It has toned down since the sisters are starting to get their shit together but I would much appreciate it being completely gone from the show. It's almost like the sponsor set a specific quota of how many scenes they have to show that particular pink can of beer. Seriously, how are they not tired of drinking 100 cans of the same thing.
I'm on the third episode and it already feels like it's moving too slowly and I feel like skipping ahead. There's nothing wrong with the show in particular, in fact it's very visually appealing, obviously high production values, decently good CGI, has nice music (other than the random english pop song at the end of episode 2... what is that doing in a period show??), a smart strong FL, etc. But they already revealed too much to us while the leads are still taking baby steps in finding the truth, and I'm starting to feel a bit bored. The premise itself is nothing new, it's just a slight variation from most monster shows but in a different setting and time period. If anyone can predict what's about to happen, it's not a very effective thriller. Even the timing of the jump scares are too easy to predict...
This is just a personal rant, but I can honestly highly relate to the FL's behaviour. Obviously some of her scenes are being played up for laughs but I actually find her personality relatable to the point that it's making me a bit upset as I watch the show. As someone with a very emotionally sensitive personality, I get very easily swayed and influenced by others' opinions and judgement, and even start doubting myself as a person way too easily. It's actually exhausting as it makes work and social life emotionally draining and makes me very susceptible to depressive feelings. I see these traits in the FL and I also see myself choosing to hide and even becoming as much of a nuisance to others if I were in her shoes. I felt her breakdown in episode 3 especially strongly as I, too, need to heavily rely on external validation to break a vicious cycle of self doubt/self pity. As an adult, we're socially expected to hold it in and it piles up and results in a crumbling of self-esteem. The FL is lucky to have a strong support system and group of friends who are that accepting and understanding, but in real life, most would find people like us to be very frustrating, immature or weak. It's upsetting because it's something I haven't been able to control throughout my entire life as much as I want to.
Episode 3 has solidified my liking for this drama, it was a perfect balance of comedy and emotion. I see that it's becoming a bit like the Reply series but delving into the leads when they're grown up. Even in their limited scenes together, the leads have enough chemistry to convince me that they are childhood friends to exes. SHS continues to surprise me, I think there's this spontaneity and nuance in her acting that I rarely see in someone as young as her. JCW's also doing very well even if he didn't have as much story yet. Hope the show keeps up the quality. I have the same concern though, I hope the show deals with the FL's alcoholism appropriately (aka treat it as an actual problem and not push it under the rug).
I didn't expect the FL to actually have a terminal illness, and I can already tell it's just a plot device. Her having a traumatic experience that explains her behaviour is a very overused trope, but there are already so many cliches that I don't mind as long as they're executed well. But the presentation of her trauma was questionable at best. Like I get the point, do I really have to watch two repeated scenes of her being transported to some iceland in such a short time frame? Then the ending with him guarding her from a very fake CGI boar just threw me off. It's one of those cringey knight in shining armor scenes that can be endured if you're immersed enough the story. But it's just the second episode and it felt out of place. Did I mention a love rival in the preview when she's literally dying in a few months..? I don't know. It's really odd that a second episode can leave me with such mixed feelings when I actually enjoyed the premiere.
It's one thing to say they don't like the FL. But the attacks on what FL did, particularly in terms of having a sexual life/multiple romantic relationships, were going completely overboard. Those are completely normal adult behaviors. And in general, I see a lot of prejudice towards female characters in k-dramas. Unfortunately coming from females themselves most of the time.
But when a female character has traits or behaviors they don’t like, it's a whole different story. "How dare she be emotional over her hardships, when male character A/B suffered more than her! How can someone like her possibly be fancied by 2 of the male characters??" (Notice how now, it's not about the writing of her character instead?)
Funny how misogyny leaks out even in a discussion section of a fictional work. Seriously, they pretend to be giving criticism when they're really just showing off how much prejudice they have towards women.
FL's suffering is the starting point of the whole show. It is the reason she came back to her hometown. The FL's crying and drinking in the first couple of episodes does make sense because it is something she just went through. The other characters' past struggles, trauma and their way of coping has been presented in flashbacks. Idk why you are against someone going through a life-changing event behaving that way just because other characters suffered more.
You can say you don't like the story, but that doesn't mean the story doesn't make sense. The plot does not have to revolve around the character who suffers the most. If it does, it will be called Welcome to Sangtae-ri or Yongpil-ri lmao.
Is it wrong for the FL to enjoy the results of her own talent/hard work? No. Is it wrong for her to try to get over someone she thought she could never get back together with? No. Was she cheating on anyone by dating when she was single? No. Idk why you sound so against having multiple relationships as a grown 30+ yo woman.
And besides, why should suffering be comparative? You're sounding a lot like those elders who go "Our generation suffered so much more than you so you don't have the right to complain". Just because you think others suffered more trauma than her doesn't mean her struggles should be disregarded.
There was no point in the show where it tried to mask the other characters' pain in favor of the FL's. In fact, in case you missed it, the show isn't trying to tell a story of who's suffering the most. It's showing how different people face their adversities, sometimes in very wrong ways, and how refusing to face or overcome them affects people who love you and spreads the pain to them. The FL's scandal is simply the starting point for all these stories to unfold.
I do think that the writing of the scandal arc is quite weak and cliche though. BEJ’s downfall is relying a lot on her own stupidity and lack of abilities. But people like her irl tend to be smarter and more wicked, and will easily trample on people like the FL. Then again, some suspension of disbelief is needed in every drama after all lol. And the scandal isn't quite what the essence of the drama is anyway.
I'm kind of interested to see how Sangdo's part will be resolved as well. I don't dislike him as much as others here do. He's a frustrating character, but he's actually a realistic case of how having a regretful and poverty-stricken youth affects you into adulthood. He clearly has very deep-rooted self esteem issues. It will be nice to see proper resolution here, so hopefully some communication happens soon.
What I do not like is the constant consumption of alcohol. It has toned down since the sisters are starting to get their shit together but I would much appreciate it being completely gone from the show. It's almost like the sponsor set a specific quota of how many scenes they have to show that particular pink can of beer. Seriously, how are they not tired of drinking 100 cans of the same thing.