Rari

Goodness vs Bitterness

This drama attempts to illustrate the virtues of goodness and kindness over bitterness and vengeance.
Show gets off to a cracking start, the female lead is gutsy with oodles of perseverance while the male lead is an angry, bitter jerk. I enjoyed the first eleven episodes, the war of wills between the two leads is at times entertaining and heart wrenching; It's an arduous climb for the show to reach the plateau of realisation, when both characters acknowledge their growing attachment to each other. It's at this point that the show goes downhill for me; the female lead became so submissive and self sacrificing to an illogical extent, she happily became the punching bag of any character that chose to bully her, this was intensely annoying to watch and contributed to my decreased interest in the show. I do so wish she had retained her spunk from earlier in the show.

The supporting cast is well represented, I enjoyed Potawee especially. The female antagonists are particularly horrible, especially Pok who actually should have been checked into a mental asylum very early on.
The standout performance in this drama is of course by Ken, he is intensely engaging and convincing in his role of the tortured and angry Pat. In my opinion he doesn't deserve this kind of bad script because he's such an awesome actor who shines in all his roles. Indeed the female lead actress was out of her depth playing opposite him, the imbalance is plain to see.

I wouldn't rewatch this but I will say the first ten episodes are entertaining, if you ignore the female lead's buckets of tears lol!

Music is ok but not varied, there are mainly two songs that are on repeat.

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innocuous and breezy slice of life show

This show is not hard to watch as it's not plot driven, it depicts the lives of chefs and cooks in a restaurant setting with emphasis on their pasta cooking skills. Pasta is arguably the main character in this drama. There's a thread of depth that runs throughout this show as various themes are explored, one of the main themes showcased in the beginning is that of hard work versus talent; ultimately the show concludes that hard work will always win out over talent since talent does not succeed alone without hard work.

This show doesn't have much substance, a lot of themes and potential plot threads which were introduced in the beginning were later dropped or addressed sporadically and haphazardly. I would have loved it if the show had built up more on themes such as misogyny in the work place, restaurant politics, a more concerted effort by the second female lead to get her man back, the female lead's independence and freedom to make her own choices regarding her culinary career.

The cast is a great one with some outstanding performances especially from Lee Sun Kyun, his performance keeps this show afloat, his character growth is amazing but not too dramatic which keeps it all realistic. At the end of the drama, he retains his endearing, prickly exterior but there is a simultaneous softening which is illustrated by his increased thoughtfulness towards others, and his ability to take responsibility for his mistakes.
The chemistry between the two leads is snappy and cute and is one of this show's big draws.
Gong Hyo Jin's performance is not so impressive, I found her portrayal of the character too petulant, sulky and whiny, she always has a complaining facial expression and her head is almost always consistently bowed down. This is clearly not her best drama performance and I'm actually a fan of hers. It seemed like they are constantly on differing wavelengths and the male lead has to constantly lower himself to her level, I found myself wondering what he loved about her, and I'm sure this is not one question the show wants you to ask.

Anyway, the slice of life, semi-episodic nature of this drama works. I grew fond of most of the characters although there are some who literally are a waste of space, case in point the three female colleagues who hover throughout the show adding absolutely nothing to the narrative, as well as the second female lead, boy is she pathetic, what exactly is the point of this character, she had one facial expression throughout, a sly self-satisfied smile, definitely not Lee ha Nui's best performance.

This show could have done with less episodes.
I did enjoy the evolution of the two main stories in this drama, the love story between the leads as well as the warm bond that develops amongst all who work in the restaurant, especially the kitchen staff.

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Because life goes on, and you deal, and if you're very lucky, you get a second chance.

This drama caught me by surprise with its mature, thoughtful and challenging story. It doesn't go out of its way to cover up a character's flaws; it in fact brings to our attention that yes, in reality a person can be weak and it is not uncommon for someone to pick wealth and power over love.

I was often frustrated with the choices the characters made in this drama, but no matter how I disliked the pain they inflicted on themselves and on others due to their selfishness, I loved how each character eventually chose to take the better path.
This drama won me over with its insights, raw emotion, realism and understated, natural and powerful acting.

The cast is excellent from start to finish, especially the four leads. Eric Mun is amazing as Kang Tae Joo, his performance is raw and emotionally charged. Jung Yoo Mi's Han Eun Soo, is at turns vulnerable, resilient, petty, annoying, weak and yet so heartbreaking... a strange mix but she makes it work beautifully.
The two leads are really flawed and make bad decisions, they are not very likable compared to the usual main leads in other Kdramas, but that's what makes this drama special in that it's brave enough to not be pretty.
Yoon Ji Hye's Cha Hye Lin portrays the pampered princess with a chip on her shoulder amazingly well, her character shows a lot of progress and development at the end of the story.
I must give a very special mention to Lee Kyu Han, his portrayal of Shin Joon Hyuk is flawless; I can safely say that this is the first time ever that I rooted for the second male lead right up to the very end. His character is the most balanced and his decisions make sense and you always understand where he's coming from, he's consistent and magnanimous right through to the end.

Que Sera Sera will not suit everyone's taste - but if you're lucky enough to fall in love with this story, I'm confident that it will leave a lasting impression as it has with me.

The music in this drama is very eclectic as coupled with the shows OST, there is a consistent backdrop of the soundtrack to 2007, literally.

Overall score 9 out of 10

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A woman who gives as good as she gets, so refreshing in kdramaland!

This drama is beautifully complex in that the beginning is straightforward but when it gets to the home stretch, things suddenly look a lot different than previously thought.
It's a cinematic feast for the eyes, the production, the costumes, the set, the acting are all top notch. It's a wonderfully mature drama in that it offers no cookie cutter solutions, the characters are multi-dimensional and FLAWED, something which I really appreciated because it makes the story so human and realistic.

I enjoyed the way the show segues neatly from a murder investigation to an exposé of corruption in high places (although this exposé thread was not fully explored at the end, which was disappointing)
I enjoyed the depiction of the truth of life shrouded in uncertainty, the depiction of unpretentious love and the all important life lesson that the choices we make do have consequences.

This amazing drama was brought to life by the outstanding cast. Kim Nam Joo deserves a very special mention for her depiction of Ko Hye Ran, a woman who is unabashedly ambitious and determined to achieve her goals at the expense of everything even love and family, while still maintaining her professional integrity. ( In my opinion she's a character whose integrity is impeccable professionally but not in her personal life ) Her performance is powerful and she is stunning and impressive, a strong woman who makes her own rules and achieves her goals.

Ji Jin Hee as Kang Tae Wook is wonderfully nuanced and subtly resonant, an actor who can act with his eyes, his performance was consistently excellent.

Jeon Hye Jin as Seo Aun Joo is an interesting discovery for me, she is a very good actress and I'd love to see her in a leading role.

Ahn Nae Sang ahjussi deserves a mention here as well although I've only ever seen him in roles where his character is contrary, but he's an excellent veteran actor nonetheless.

The whole cast is superb and they all had great chemistry especially the News Nine team.

The ending of this drama raises some interesting conundrums, first of all there are a few dropped threads and unanswered questions and second I got the distinct feeling at the end that Show was telling me that powerful women destroy men; this contradicted and negated everything the drama had told me in the first fourteen episodes. This doesn't ruin the Show by any means, each viewer can draw their own conclusion.

The music is evocative and fantastic, I loved the violin pieces.

Overall 9.5 out of 10

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Show tries to illustrate that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.

I honestly started this show because I like Joo Sang Wook and also because I wanted to watch something light.

The general premise of the story is good, a marginalised woman decides to get plastic surgery thinking that once she's slim and beautiful her life will automatically change for the better. She does find love yes, but she also realises that she has to resolve all her issues the hard way regardless of how she looks.
The show does a good job of lauding inner beauty as opposed to outer beauty; Our female lead was not blessed with outer beauty but she has immense inner beauty, conversely the second female lead is blessed with outer beauty but has a rotten heart.

The show delivered hilarious hijinks right up to the 12th episode, after that it started to drag and I fast forwarded some scenes. There is an annoying period where the female lead indulges in some poorly thought out noble idiocy and the villains in this show were irritatingly irrational.

The acting was ok. Joo Sang Wook shone in this comedic role, he was so charming and lovable. Han Ye Seul was ok, bordering on bland. The supporting cast was good, Jung Gyu Woon and Wang Ji Hye were great as second leads.
The chemistry between the leads is negligible, they did a lot of smiling at each other but there was no real connection in my opinion.
This show would have done better with less episodes.

The music is ok, nothing really stuck with me.

This is a pleasant watch.
I give it a 6.5 out of 10

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The story takes off sprinting and is instantly captivating. As each layer of the puzzle is peeled off, we get deeper into the intrigue and family secrets. I enjoyed the way the story was told, we're shown a man whose mind is playing tricks on him and controlling his life in a very real sense. The mental illness DID ( dissociative identity disorder) is shown in a compelling way.
This drama also has the issue of fate or destiny between the two main leads, they have an intertwined past and meet in the present in the right circumstances to enable them to solve the mystery of their childhood.
The love story is inevitable and I must say it didn't capture my interest too much, the chemistry was off in my opinion; Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum had much better chemistry in Secret.

The acting in this is very good. Hats off to Ji Sung for bringing his seven persona's to life in such an authentic and heart wrenching way, he is an amazingly intuitive actor.
Hwang Jung Emu held her own and provided some much needed levity in this story; I did feel at times that she was a bit shrill and didn't inject her character with enough nuance.
I also really enjoyed Park Seo Joon, he was wonderfully conflicted and I especially like the way he resolved his inner conflict unlike other second leads, he gave up on his unrealistic dream of being in love with his stepsister and instead became a strong support for both her and her new love.
Kim Yoo Ri's role is negligible, why was she even there? It was a waste of a decent actress, they could have fleshed out her character a bit more, the same goes for Oh Min Suk, his character fell flat and there ultimately wasn't much to him.

I think this drama should have just had the standard 16 episodes because it began to drag in the later episodes, I found myself wanting it to end, and the incessant flashbacks didn't help matters either.

I loved a few tunes in the OST especially "Auditory Hallucination" it's a great song

I gave this drama an overall score of 8, and I am unlikely to rewatch it, but I did enjoy it enough while I watched it.

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I enjoyed this one, it's very well written, it has no uncessarry angst or comedy, it's just right.

The story is good, of course this is a remake of a Taiwanese drama which also has a Korean remake. In my opinion this version has the most concise story and picks the best aspects of the previous two dramas. For example I found the Taiwanese version too long winded with a tad too much slapstick comedy, it also has low production value. The Korean version has two amazing leads, the most wonderful OST ( which I still listen to to this day) and is a real tear jerker.

However, I found the Thai one avoids most of the negative aspects of the other two and is tightly scripted and acted, the two leads are amazing together and I enjoyed their interactions, their relationship comes across as very true to life and is not stylised ( something I struggle with in many Kdramas)

Production value is high and I really appreciate the way the lead actress is not dowdily styled, she is very chic and still manages to portray her character well both before and after the break up.

The music is a bit of a let down, but in my opinion it doesn't take anything away from the story.

I marathoned this drama and enjoyed it immensely.
Overall 9.

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Ok, so I went into this drama with quite low expectations, why? you might ask; because even though it has an overall rating of 8, I had read some reviews and comments beforehand and they kind of put me off. Moral of the story: try not to read reviews before watching a show because it will definitely colour your experience.

I'm so glad I went ahead and watched this anyway. This drama's plot has the potential to be a complete disaster, what with the fantasy and supernatural elements, the arranged marriage, a family curse, a ghost, reincarnation, people literally losing their mind, attempted murder, attempted suicide, secrets, you name the trope, it is probably there.
This drama does something unique with this mixed bag of themes, it weaves them into this wonderful story about finding love, fated love, good overcoming evil, good being rewarded and evil being punished, past mistakes and sins being addressed in the present day, and true, genuine love being the overriding key to peace and real happiness.
The story also has a strong female perspective as all the plot drivers good or evil are female.

I have a small criticism about the ending of the drama, I don't like the way they handled the baby issue; while Doo Rim is away, it is implied that she and Kang Ju are still 'together' spiritually and emotionally if not physically, so why then would she not tell him that she's having his baby? ( this is a game and life changing event for goodness sake!!!) and then for him to have no visible reaction to the discovery that he has a baby? this was weird and unrealistic.

The cast is very good and well placed, special mention must go to Yang Jin Sung who plays the roles of Na Doo Rim and Jang Yi Kyung to perfection, she is super believable as both characters.
Lee Hong Ki also does a most credible job, at first I thought his baby face wouldn't work with the character but he managed to pull it off very well. The two of them make a cute and very grounded OTP, I was very impressed.
The supporting cast is excellent, the two scheming mothers were initially teeth grindingly annoying, but later on there is sufficient character evolution characterised by remorse and mental anguish.
The second male lead is a bit meh, but is necessary to the plot.
Ghost lady is very entertaining and serves a narrative and guiding purpose in the whole story.
I must also mention that this is the first time I've seen such a good relationship between a chaebol prince and his father, Kang Ju's dad is simply adorable.

The music is good, there are some catchy songs, which do a great job of setting the right mood.

I'm not one for rewatching dramas like this one simply because it was rather suspenseful, so once I know the answers to the mystery I don't really need to watch again.

Overall score is 8.5
It is a good, solid and unique drama which is skilfully directed.

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This drama is in a genre that I haven't watched much of, I tend to watch rom coms but I now have an interest in watching Melo/suspense/romance dramas.

The story is well set up, the initial episodes are gripping and made me want to keep watching, the story is very dramatic, it has most of the elements of a melodrama, doppelgänger's, birth secrets, switched identities, revenge, murder, blackmail, corporate greed, secret affairs the works. For the most part the story handled these themes well, my only problem is that some of the plot lines that were established earlier in the story were not resolved at the end, the most annoying one being "were Seo Un Ha and Byun Ji Sook biological sisters?"
The love story between Un Ha and Min Woo is very charming and sweet although I wasn't crazy about the lacklustre chemistry between the leads;

Soo Ae's portrayal of Eun Ha and Ji Sook was spot on, she managed to give each character its individual identity so that the two were very distinct. Her steely determination and quiet strength were very well executed.

I found Joo Ji Hoon's acting to be quite wooden, he doesn't seem to have many facial expressions; he had an excellent script and role to work with though and I think that was his saving grace. I will admit to him being charming though.

Yeon Jung Hoon's portrayal of Min Seok Hoon was great, he gave the character sufficient menace without being inelegant, He was cooly focused on his revenge mission and used every weapon and opportunity at his disposal to achieve his goal. I will say though that the story set him up for big things which I feel he ultimately didn't live up to.

The character I enjoyed the most in the drama is that of Choi Mi Yeon played by Yoo In Yung. For the majority of the drama I found her irritating so I shouldn't say I enjoyed this character, it's more accurate to say that when I finished the drama hers was the most complex, subtle, and many layered character in the show. Mi Yeon is not simply good or bad, she has so many layers in between and varying shades of grey that she was often frustrating to watch. Mi Yeon's inward struggle was always on show, her constant battle to do the right thing while trying to hold onto a husband she clearly knew cared nothing for her was heartbreaking to watch, her moral compass was so shaky that half the time she didn't want to know what was truth or lies, preferring to make up her own reality. Ultimately she realises that she cannot live a lie or bury her head in the sad any longer. this is a sterling performance from Yoo In Yung.

The music is good background, and suitable for the action on screen.

I don't usually rewatch shows that have a suspense premise, because I already know what's going to happen.

Overall I give this show a 7.5

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I watched this show because I'd heard such wonderful things about it, I'm going to talk about what I liked and what I didn't like in each category.

The story for me started out very well, episodes 1 to 6 were excellent, well executed and snappy. The premise is your standard rich man poor woman push and pull courtship. The male lead was suitably arrogant, pushy, selfish and self important (a very special mention to Hyun Bin for his excellent acting and portrayal of this character ) and the female lead was super indifferent, as you do. After episode 6 the drama dragged a bit and went around in circles, the story was established but there was no forward movement in terms of plot, and I must admit I lost interest and watched a few episodes of another drama.
Show picked up again at episode 13 where the female lead Gil Ra Im had a breakthrough and I finally got a dose of good acting from her, It felt as though she had slowly been warming up to her role and was finally comfortable with it. Her confession in episode 14 was amazingly done but to me it felt as though it came from nowhere, in the sense that her acting up to this point was not nuanced enough to convey a reluctant attraction for Joo Won, because I just got reluctance period.
The soul swapping premise was comedic for the most part, but I found the character consistency went out the window, especially the first time they swapped.
Thereafter the story suddenly took a sharp turn into melodramaland with a lot of crying, tragic overtones and fantasy magic tropes. This actually ruined the show for me as I think it would have been better if they'd actually kept it a fantasy romance, one scene was particularly depressing for me and that's the scene where Kim Joo Won with Gil Ra Im in his lap, drives off into a dark and stormy horizon framed by a barren landscape; this took the show into makjang territory.
I don't normally like my romances and love stories to go so dark unless that is the clear premise at the beginning of the story, and in Secret Garden I got the definite sense that Kim Joo Won entered this dark and gloomy place when he fell in love with Gil Ra Im, isn't love supposed to be joyful and light? there was something heavy about this one.
In contrast I found the relationship between Oska and Seul more compelling than the main couple's, in the sense that It felt more real.

The casting was good for the most part. Hyun Bin is a good actor but I didn't enjoy him in this role. Ha Ji Won in my opinion was all wrong for this role, she was wooden and lacked nuance. the chemistry between the two leads was sadly lacking as well.
I loved the rest of the cast especially Yoon Sang Hyun as Oska and Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul, these two were great especially Oska, I loved everything about him.

The music was emotive, I liked it.

Rewatch value for me is very low, I've put it at 4; the show lacked special moments that I would go back and rewatch.

I've given it a 6.5 overall, In my opinion this show is over hyped and overrated, but still watchable for the posterity factor.

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A cynical, satirical, burlesque portrayal of glaring disparities between poor and wealthy in society

This is quite the interesting drama, I was prompted to watch it by the extreme publicity and international hype that it's received since it won the coveted Palme D'Or.

Storywise I'd say there's nothing out of the ordinary about this story ( I mean the implied and overt conflict between the rich and poor) the ingenuity comes in with the way the simple subject matter of socio economic disparity between societal strata is tackled. The way a straightforward tutoring job of one family member morphs into the entire poor family of mother, father, son and daughter being employed by the same wealthy family. What struck me the most was the entitled mindset of the poor family, their apparent lack of remorse or shame for their dishonest actions; my attention was drawn to the unusual portrayal of poor people as unscrupulous and dishonourable, this was particularly evident in the behaviour of Kim Ji Sung (the daughter) After watching many a KDrama where poor people are portrayed as principled, hard working and honourable, this aspect of the story was jarring. In this case poverty was debilitating to the extent that they were prepared to do anything to overcome it.

The portrayal of the wealthy family in my opinion was nothing out of the ordinary, just your average rich people living in their comfortable and nice smelling bubble, a bubble where poor people are there as a mod con to make their lives even more luxurious and fuss free. This was excellently portrayed in the scene where Madame calls from the car on their way from the aborted camping trip and instructs the maid that she should start preparing "ram-don" so that as they literally walk into the house, the ram-don will be just ready to eat.

The collision of these two worlds is what makes this movie fascinating; three separate groups of people each with their own set of expectations on what they were hoping to get from their interaction with each other. The fact that the reality falls short of the expectation is what creates the slow motion train wreck that is this movie.

The cast and acting are superb. special mention goes to Cho Yeo Jung who plays the wealthy and luxuriously oblivious wife, mother and madame of the house. Song Kang Ho is brilliant in his role of the poor husband and father who is so inured to poverty, he has developed a sense of helplessness and resentment which culminates in his crass over-reaction to events at the end of the movie, over-reaction in the sense that had he not already reached boiling point, things may not have gotten so out of hand, the same applies to Moon Gwang's husband Oh Geun Sae.

I didn't pay too much attention to the music.

Rewatch value is quite high 9/10 as I would like to see what other observations I can make on a second viewing.

Overall I give it a 9.

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Restitution.

Due to its wide and ecstatic fandom, I set out to watch this drama 5 years ago but alas could only manage 6 episodes before placing it on my dropped list; two years ago, I tried again and only managed five episodes; fast forward to 2025 and here I am, a proud finisher of NIF.

Pros:
-The show has a great cast and some memorable acting; special mentions are the Emperor, Consort Jing, Prince Yu, Jang Rui, Xia Jiang and Prince Jing for his barely leashed intensity. Mei Chang Su is technically well executed but the intangible aspects of his portrayal didn't grab me, more on that later.
-The show has detailed, complex and intricate plots. The backstory is also well fleshed out albeit retrospectively for the most part.
-There are a number of truly stunning and impactful dramatic scenes throughout the show; my favourites among many are: Jing Rui's resigned and a tinge disillusioned forgiveness and farewell of Mei Changsu before he leaves for Southern Chu, there is such an air of sadness in this scene, a sense that innocence and carefree days are firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Another great scene is Marquis (sorry forgot his name) in jail chained to the wall and the conversation he has with Mei Changsu.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Prince Jing first when Jing cuts down the bell, and then in the snow when Mei Changsu's cold and stoic demeanour cracks as he's pleading with Jing and we see his desperation and frustration, powerful.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Consort Jing in the tent at the hunt as she tentatively pulls back his sleeve to look for his identifying mole, you can almost feel his held breath, and her hope mixed with trepidation.
The scene between Prince Yu and the emperor, after the rebellion, when Prince Yu is in the cage; his pain, resentment, anger and hostility towards the emperor is palpable and heart wrenchingly executed, this is such a great scene.
There are many other impactful scenes that give this drama a truly elevated air.
-The show makes excellent use of foreshadowing as a plot device, I think this contributes to the high rewatch factor as viewers will identify more and more plot foreshadowing on each rewatch.
-The music is evocative and apt, I loved the soundtrack and especially appreciated the lyrics of the songs which told the story of the drama.
-The cinematography is very well done, there are so many shots throughout the show which are truly stunning.

Cons:
-The beginning of the show is very slow, the world building is lengthy and a lot of it is told through dialogue so there is a lot of it including many characters names to remember.
- Mei Chang Su as the central character is good, however even as I understand how he became the stoic and calculating person we see, I still wasn't emotionally invested in him as a character, I didn't love him the way most viewers do. I appreciate and admire his strategising, felt bad for his physical and mental anguish and was rooting for his plans to succeed, but I just didn't love him - the character didn't click with me even though he's masterfully written and acted.
-The show lost a lot by not showing key moments and this weakened its impact; there's a lot of tell and no showing and this contributes to a lack of connection with the characters motivations. The biggest example of this is the show telling us about the outcome of the Chiyan investigation in episode 53, rather than showing us the investigation as it took place - this was one of the biggest goals of Mei Changsu, to reinvestigate the Chiyan case and exonerate those who were wrongfully accused, but by telling us and not showing us - the show failed to give viewers a sense of satisfaction and justice being done, it was anticlimactic.
-The final episode felt underwhelming and rushed. Mei Changsu embarked on a path he had not previously alluded to and this came as a surprise, the show tried to explain it away but it felt contrived, I understand this ending is similar to the book so perhaps the show didn't adequately portray Mei Changsu's inner battle between his new and old self. Why he couldn't just reconcile the two and continue on with his faithful friends and loved ones? I don't know.

Overall this is a clever drama. In my experience, if a show is truly enjoyable and has the X factor, I do not balk at plot holes or missteps as long as they're not too glaringly obvious and can be comfortably camouflaged by the overall awesomeness of the show. In this case NIF glided past this marker by the skin of its teeth.
It's a solid 8 out of 10.

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The Power of female friendships.

I wasn't expecting this drama to be so good, but it really is very good.

It reminded me of First Half of My Life in a way.

The female lead's outlook and the way she approached her dilemma of a cheating husband was so impressive, graceful, mature and pragmatic; she's also a genuinely nice person so that makes her endearing.

My biggest takeaway from this story is its portrayal of female friendships, the way women support and help each other is what made this story so refreshing. There are many instances where there is genuine animosity between women but the narrative takes us through a journey of the women reaching an understanding of each other and appreciating each other's challenges.

Additional themes are the role of women in marriage, the workplace, familial relationships and society in general. The story shows how difficult it is for women to balance family and career and it also highlights the different and higher expectations placed on women compared to men. Men have fewer expectations placed on them beyond being a financial provider.

This is an excellent drama with a worthwhile message.

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You know that feeling when you want to sneeze but nothing happens?......

That's exactly how it felt watching the middle to end episodes of this drama. It has a great promising start with lovely chemistry between the leads (Yoon Eun Hye never disappoints when it comes to chemistry with her co-stars) However, the show loses direction and fails to really take off.

The story is all over the place in the sense that a lot of things appear to be happening but the plot really goes nowhere. Show lacks momentum and some dramatic situations which should propel the show forward are completely not followed up on and just glossed over. The male lead is most times ineffectual who for most of the story is well and truly hamstrung by the very people he vehemently denounces.

The love story is initially developed very nicely albeit haltingly in the earlier episodes. lt fizzles in the middle episodes because the lovers have little to no interaction with each other at a time that their relationship development could have benefitted from experiencing the tough times as a solid and unified pair; in fact as the story plods on the two leads spend little time together so as a viewer there are very few opportunities to actually enjoy the love story.

Episode 12 is particularly frustrating because so much could have happened but didn't.
The drama should have been shorter, then maybe it would have flowed better. The story is portrayed so inefficiently that I even entertained the thought that the main couple should not end up together.

In a nutshell this drama has an excellent cast with an inadequate script and poor directing.

Overall 6 out of 10, and only because the cast is good.

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Be yourself, flaws and all.

This is a drama which starts off very entertaining, even though the boss -secretary dynamic is quite overdone, I still found myself marathoning the first three quarters of the show.

The male lead is superbly portrayed and I enjoyed the full range of his character, especially the unflinching depiction of his vulnerability and uncertainty in his relationship with his mother.
The female lead is very good in the first half of the show, I enjoyed her gutsy yet shy demeanour, especially the way she handled the impersonation of Veronica Park

The last stretch of the show is a bit annoying to watch as the female lead lost her gutsy attitude and had a bit of a personality transplant in that she became defeated and made decisions which were inconsistent with her earlier character trajectory.

The secondary couple of Veronica Park and the second male lead is a tad more enjoyable to watch simply because of Veronica Park; Kim Jae Kyung played this role to perfection, she is so entertaining.

Overall it's a good show for when you want a break from the heavier dramas, It's a drama about forgiveness and being yourself.

Overall 6 out of 10.

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