Adachi

SH seems to have matured since letting go of JW. I especially loved the moment he told HN he couldn’t trust him, after being deceived so shamelessly. It’s ironic that the writer gave him a main-lead-level storyline and emotional weight, but once he grew too much as a character, she had to remind herself that he was only the SML. lol

This drama has completely lost its spark. It’s hard to care about protagonists who border on stupidity (especially JW) which makes everything feel dragged out and boring. Right now, the only remotely decent characters are NS and TS, since they’re at least consistent with their goals. I don’t root for them, but I also feel nothing during their so-called threatening scenes against the leads, because it’s obvious they’ll lead nowhere. I kept watching because of SH, since I like his character, but even he can’t save this story anymore.

I also thought JW had confusing feelings for him because of those scenes, especially when she went to his office asking for a second chance (right after being kicked out of the mansion) and told him to wait until she could reveal her real identity. At that point, she already knew she was SuA and that the two of them would become “siblings.” So why give the guy hope? Later, she acted like he had deluded himself. In today’s episode, she brushed him off like he meant nothing and even had the audacity to shout that she wasn’t JYC, when she literally introduced herself that way and spent a good while living behind that mask. Not everyone can switch the inconsistency button on and off like she does. lol

YC arranged for SH to catch JW and HN in a suspicious situation once again (although the previous incidents were not staged). Hurt, he ended up giving in to the villain’s charms… yet something about this story doesn’t feel right. Even if he had been drinking, he would likely remember what happened that night. But honestly, at this point, what difference would that even make to JW? She rejects her “husband” at every opportunity, places herself in the role of a sister, demands that he accept her new “reality”, claims she has a very strong bond with another man, insists that she is CJW and not JYC, and so on. In the end, their union was a farce she never truly cared about, and unfortunately, the real wife had always been YC. It is disappointing that the writer chose to discard the character this way… but that’s life.

Exactly. The character’s ambiguity pushed me away from her. I liked it when she confronted JTS on equal terms, but her revenge loses meaning when she gets jealous seeing HR treat YC well and freaks out over it. I mean, is she really seeking revenge, or does she just want to be recognized and loved as a daughter?

The father’s death is just an excuse to redeem the character from the rejection she suffered. Now her revenge might carry some “real” weight, though I highly doubt anything will actually happen. On AsianWiki, they say this writer never wraps up her projects properly, often taking the scripts from nowhere to nowhere. Hopefully this time it will be different. lol

You’re welcome. On the KBS World channel, you can watch the entire drama with English subtitles (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMf7VY8La5RFAahuj8iTbXh97vcg1Vn4b&si=vQCzQ6hiaoFz0isy
). Just turn on the closed captions in the video.

This drama is quite fun, but I still prefer Queen’s House for one simple reason: I genuinely cared about the heroine. Every injustice she faced made her extremely sympathetic, and as she started getting revenge on her tormentors, the story became more and more engaging. In AGL, I don’t really feel attached to anyone (maybe SH?), because the characters were introduced as rather "dark figures". Let’s just say their “sky” is finally starting to clear, and the "good" ones are beginning to separate themselves from the "bad". As for the actor, he really is versatile. Even though I don’t like JTS, I can still appreciate the quality of his performance.

I know that very well... I’ve been watching daily dramas since 2018 (I started with Love to the End, which is still one of my favorites). You really can’t expect originality from them. However, it’s pretty clear that the writer dropped her own initial storyline because it was being rejected. JW was introduced as an ambitious, jealous, morally ambiguous woman who would do anything to climb up in life, including deceiving a “family”. Obviously that felt strange to viewers, because heroines are expected to be sweet, innocent, and long-suffering. And it’s true that she was losing favor with the local audience, which was shifting all the praise toward YC and HR.

My point has nothing to do with predicting the plot, it’s about the writer changing course to please the audience based on what works and what doesn’t, like any open-ended production.

I agree that YC is a terrible character; she’s the typical daily-drama villain whose only purpose is to torment everyone for 100 episodes until she finally gets punished or redeemed. As for HN, my criticism is that he was introduced like a secondary character, not as a proper lead with his own solid storyline, and that’s something this writer tends to do. I get the feeling she didn’t expect JW and SH’s romance to be well-received, so now she’s trying to get rid of it at any cost. I wish it weren’t like that, but… oh well.

I don’t think you got my point. The writer is working on every aspect that’s been criticized or praised on this site (and on other Korean platforms), which is why I said she’s listening to the audience and adjusting the story. It has nothing to do with predicting the script.

Considering that Koreans themselves are talking about the changes made to the original script, driven by the rejection of JW and the clear preference for YC, it’s only natural to think that the writer is tuning in to the audience and taking cues from the previous hit, but hey, think whatever you want lol.

I get the feeling the author actually reads this forum. Out of nowhere, she decided to revive the storyline of NS’s deceased husband just to give HN some kind of plot… something I honestly couldn’t care less about. Then she copied the bath scene that had been praised with SH. Now it seems she’s going to turn SH into a traitor because the main couple has absolutely no chemistry. So much wasted potential. Lol.

I feel sorry for SuA because her outfits are the ugliest in the drama. YC dresses much better, especially when she played the fake JW.

He had already confessed his feelings to her in front of the Geonhyang house and also at NS’s house. However, since the romance felt forced and she is/was married, the author decided to take a step back so it wouldn’t look so ridiculous. Even in this, she is copying Queen’s House, despite the couple having negative chemistry here.

Honestly, I expected SH to rebel against the situation instead of accepting it so easily; after all, he’s the victim in this story. However, his reaction was consistent with the way his character has been built so far. In any other drama, they would be the main couple. It’s a shame the author chose to take the easy route and now has to break them apart abruptly. JW telling SH that she would reward him by behaving like a good sister felt far too forced. And HN, who used to be obsessed with the divorce, is now acting as if he supports the two of them... I wouldn’t be surprised if SH ends up becoming obsessed just to justify the romance between the chemistry-less “protagonists.”

I confess that I expected more from this episode.
We all knew that KB was going to die at some point, so he deserved a more dramatic/impactful moment and not just a simple fall down the stairs. The scene really reminded me of what happened to the villain’s brother in Queen's House. The difference is that, in the other drama, he was left with aftereffects and his memory regressed to childhood, which prevented him from revealing one of the villainess’s secrets.

Anyway, although HyeRa wants to place all the blame on her husband, she was the one who pushed the man and left him in TS’s care. If she had been as worried as she claims, she would have stayed by KB’s side until the end… I loved that she admitted her ambition to JW. This “clueless girl” act doesn’t match the character’s actions at all.

JW and SH may not be the main couple, but they clearly work as one. The fact that JW went so far as to visit his mother to apologize for not being able to keep her promise shows that she cares about him... otherwise, she would have ignored the situation and moved on.

His reaction, in turn, surprised me in a good way, because it shows that he truly loves her, regardless of which identity she assumes. Some people said this is an obsessive trait, but from the very beginning they always asked him what he would do if she turned out to be fake, and he always replied that nothing would change. He simply proved it.

YC keeps throwing it in HN’s face that both of them would benefit from SH and JW’s divorce, but he keeps playing dumb for some unknown reason. I love this selective amnesia. lol

As for the villains, one is driven by obsessive love and the other by money. It’s certain that, at some point, they’ll join forces. I wouldn’t be surprised if they even get married just to torment JW, SH, HN, and HR. Let’s see how things play out…

HyeRa portrays her husband as a terrible villain, but she doesn’t anticipate any of his moves, even though she has enough intelligence and resources to do so. In Queen's House, JaeIn tried to gather evidence against GiChan, but he was clever and had SR to “protect” him. In fact, she was only able to bring him down when she pretended to have lost her memory.

HyeRa is extremely ambitious. If NS prioritizes money above anyone else, she is no different, as she intentionally abandoned her family. During the conversation with the secretary, it seemed that HR was so blinded by love that she wanted to stay with TS at any cost, even to the point of abandoning her own daughter. When, in reality, what she truly desires is his money and status.

There hasn't been an impactful death in A Graceful Liar yet, even though HN’s father’s death and the model’s death were unfortunate events. In Queen's House, the FL lost her father and the ML lost his sister, but the real revenge only began after the FL lost her son, the person she loved the most. I believe the same will happen with JW.

Every daily drama has that one impactful death. And in this story, the only loss that would truly shake JW is her father’s. Their relationship is deeply ambiguous: she hates being the daughter of a murderer, yet the affection between them is undeniable. It’s precisely this contradiction that would make losing him so devastating for her.

The episode promised everything and delivered absolutely nothing. HR didn’t hear JW’s confession, but at least she finally started getting suspicious of YC... who, honestly, is a terrible actress. She couldn’t even pretend to be moved by any of the items JW’s mother showed her. At this point, ambitious-era JW did a much better job because she fully embodied the role.

SH moved into NS’s house to stay close to his wife and keep an eye on HN. Considering the “brother-in-law’s” intrusive behavior, SH’s reaction is completely justified, even though the writer insists on making him look “over the top.” He literally saw HN begging JW to leave her husband right in front of their house, and later heard from the man himself that he had feelings for her... No spouse, no matter how easygoing, would tolerate someone like that hanging around.

NS is the only character who stays consistent. She wants to destroy SH and JW’s marriage to secure the Geonhyang family inheritance. I loved how she threw it in HN’s face that their divorce would benefit him too, since he spent several episodes begging for it. And honestly, the fact that HN keeps pretending to be a saint is infuriating. “It’s not what you think…,” “I want her to start over with SH,” while telling JW: “Get a divorce and come to me.” Seriously?

HR is finally showing her true colors. She didn’t abandon her daughter just because TS asked... She did it because she couldn’t stand her miserable life as the wife of a murderer, conveniently forgetting her child while enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. Her outburst toward the secretary and her husband was pure guilt.

JW is more lost than ever. Her conversation with her father shook her so deeply that it temporarily derailed her revenge plans, making her consider giving up her impostor identity.

YC really became obsessed with SH. And honestly? I don’t blame her. lol

I loved the final scene! JW and SH are the only couple with a genuinely meaningful conflict in this drama, which makes me root for them even more. It’s obvious JW cares far more than she wants to admit. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even consider telling him the truth and asking to start over from scratch, without masks. His reaction is unpredictable: he might be hurt and reject her, but he might also understand, because he is clearly, deeply in love with his fake wife. With this, it feels like the real love triangle will be JW, SH, and YC. At this point, HN is giving total SML energy.

And since the previews are always misleading, I’m done falling for them…
It’s actually hilarious seeing people on YouTube begging JW not to divorce SH.
They really are the drama’s real couple. lol