This review may contain spoilers
Communication is Key
I will preface this with saying that I have seen a lot of reviews saying not to watch all of this drama, that it is a waste of time, frustration with the fl, etc. While I agree that she was often infuriating for her stubborn and know-it-all attitude, most of her behavior is understandable. Exaggeration of responses by characters in dramas is nothing new as they keep us coming back…to see how it will work out. Right?
Now my thoughts on the story:
I think that the point of a lot of these stories is largely overlooked because viewers want heart flutters and characters that are nearly oerfect in their affection once the couple unites. This drama is too close to realty and that is what frustrates viewers and doesn’t give the dopamine hit required to give them heart shaped clouds and fast beating hearts.
This drama is more focused on the extreme importance of open, honest communication between couples. It’s not only important or reserved for your best friend. It’s something rarely communicated between parents and their children, especially when parents are more focused in marrying off their children than they are in teaching them how to live life together with their future spouse.
This drama exemplified a gap between two strong, romantic and sensitive people who focused on happiness together and dreams of the future rather than the process of understanding how the other processes thoughts and responds to difficulties.
Granted, the ml was better at listening to the fl than she was to him, they both viewed everything through the happily ever after lenses of their love goggles - and when life’s difficulties and bitter realities hit them, those lenses cracked, and woke them up.
They both wanted to tell the other about their difficulties but their internal dialogues made assumptions based on their thoughts and not the reality of what the other person felt or needed. This is a dangerous and often disastrous thing for relationships. Trying to keep the other person from feeling any unhappiness (which is temporary in difficulties), neither had the courage to bear their struggles to the other. The result? A rift in the trust they had built, romanticized dreams crumbled and anger lead to resentment. This resentment resulted in defensive barriers to shield the fl from pain and her anger into bitterness. The ml was riddled with guilt and remorse.
None of their attempts to move on or accept the reality of their situations had any affect on their feelings, so they both dived into their professions and channeled that energy into success.
When they reunited both wanted to go back to the other. While the ml did everything he could to rekindle, the fl fought him off. And nothing would have worked until they both faced their part in the failure of their past relationship.
This step was imperative to their relationship. True reconciliation cannot happen if only one person recognizes their contribution to the failure - and the ml had done that.
The fl on the other hand was incredibly stubborn, and it took her a long time to finally recognize what was truly important. She’d lost herself in her anger and hurt, and it took the scare of losing her best friend to cancer to wake her up.
Frustrating for the viewer yes. But also the reality of life and a good lesson to keep in mind. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Loving someone well does not mean you or they will be around and you’ll both leave the planet at the same time. This is a reality I have seen many times over in my life. People leave us in various ways, but those who leave when the grim reaper calls are the hardest to lose. This then should be an impetus to spur us on to looking at everyone in our lives in the realistic view of they could be gone in a moments time.
This is another lesson from this drama.
While romance and warm fuzzies are great diversions fueling our desire for someone to love and to love us in return, the true meaning to having a spouse or friend for that matter is that openness and honesty - transparency - that exposes your good, bad and ugly sides is what is needed along with open and frank communication, is what makes and keeps a bond strong and lasting.
And then at the end of one’s journey, sadness can linger, but the relationship of two people who loved well through all circumstances will never die.
Other things:
Music was good
Production was done very well. Scenes, prop placement, timely music cues and locations chosen to reflect the mood of each scene were excellent.
Casting was also very good. You were drawn to each character with excellent introductions and development. Enotinal responses to the good-guys, the bad-guys and the cutesy 2nd couple were well dispersed and added to the tension and relief very well.
Ovet all I gave this a 9, as the ending was too rushed and focused more on the recovery of the ml’s business than the resolution and redevelopment of the lead couples relationship.
Maybe another label type is needed for classifying dramas - business, business romance. A lot of dramas are labeled as romance when that seems to be the secondary part of the story, and would give the viewer a much better impression of the drama. Tge romance label is used too liberally when classifying dramas, and many seeking warm fuzzies are disappointed which results in bad reviews for the shows and negatively impacts the actors and production crew.
Now my thoughts on the story:
I think that the point of a lot of these stories is largely overlooked because viewers want heart flutters and characters that are nearly oerfect in their affection once the couple unites. This drama is too close to realty and that is what frustrates viewers and doesn’t give the dopamine hit required to give them heart shaped clouds and fast beating hearts.
This drama is more focused on the extreme importance of open, honest communication between couples. It’s not only important or reserved for your best friend. It’s something rarely communicated between parents and their children, especially when parents are more focused in marrying off their children than they are in teaching them how to live life together with their future spouse.
This drama exemplified a gap between two strong, romantic and sensitive people who focused on happiness together and dreams of the future rather than the process of understanding how the other processes thoughts and responds to difficulties.
Granted, the ml was better at listening to the fl than she was to him, they both viewed everything through the happily ever after lenses of their love goggles - and when life’s difficulties and bitter realities hit them, those lenses cracked, and woke them up.
They both wanted to tell the other about their difficulties but their internal dialogues made assumptions based on their thoughts and not the reality of what the other person felt or needed. This is a dangerous and often disastrous thing for relationships. Trying to keep the other person from feeling any unhappiness (which is temporary in difficulties), neither had the courage to bear their struggles to the other. The result? A rift in the trust they had built, romanticized dreams crumbled and anger lead to resentment. This resentment resulted in defensive barriers to shield the fl from pain and her anger into bitterness. The ml was riddled with guilt and remorse.
None of their attempts to move on or accept the reality of their situations had any affect on their feelings, so they both dived into their professions and channeled that energy into success.
When they reunited both wanted to go back to the other. While the ml did everything he could to rekindle, the fl fought him off. And nothing would have worked until they both faced their part in the failure of their past relationship.
This step was imperative to their relationship. True reconciliation cannot happen if only one person recognizes their contribution to the failure - and the ml had done that.
The fl on the other hand was incredibly stubborn, and it took her a long time to finally recognize what was truly important. She’d lost herself in her anger and hurt, and it took the scare of losing her best friend to cancer to wake her up.
Frustrating for the viewer yes. But also the reality of life and a good lesson to keep in mind. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Loving someone well does not mean you or they will be around and you’ll both leave the planet at the same time. This is a reality I have seen many times over in my life. People leave us in various ways, but those who leave when the grim reaper calls are the hardest to lose. This then should be an impetus to spur us on to looking at everyone in our lives in the realistic view of they could be gone in a moments time.
This is another lesson from this drama.
While romance and warm fuzzies are great diversions fueling our desire for someone to love and to love us in return, the true meaning to having a spouse or friend for that matter is that openness and honesty - transparency - that exposes your good, bad and ugly sides is what is needed along with open and frank communication, is what makes and keeps a bond strong and lasting.
And then at the end of one’s journey, sadness can linger, but the relationship of two people who loved well through all circumstances will never die.
Other things:
Music was good
Production was done very well. Scenes, prop placement, timely music cues and locations chosen to reflect the mood of each scene were excellent.
Casting was also very good. You were drawn to each character with excellent introductions and development. Enotinal responses to the good-guys, the bad-guys and the cutesy 2nd couple were well dispersed and added to the tension and relief very well.
Ovet all I gave this a 9, as the ending was too rushed and focused more on the recovery of the ml’s business than the resolution and redevelopment of the lead couples relationship.
Maybe another label type is needed for classifying dramas - business, business romance. A lot of dramas are labeled as romance when that seems to be the secondary part of the story, and would give the viewer a much better impression of the drama. Tge romance label is used too liberally when classifying dramas, and many seeking warm fuzzies are disappointed which results in bad reviews for the shows and negatively impacts the actors and production crew.
Was this review helpful to you?
