4
Farm/tree/seachange for everyone!
There are times when only a slow burn, mellow romance will hit the spot. This show fits the bill, but it also has a minor sting in its tail. We'll talk about that later.
The first couple of episodes is manic. Two already hectic urban lives are upended by life threatening illness as well as career setbacks. A double whammy you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I can sense the "how low can it go" trope rearing its head already.
The daughter (YFL) finally had enough and ran away with her bestie to the sea. There she meets a handsome, helpful young man (YML) and his handsome, helpful father (OML). As luck would have it, the OML went to school with her adopted mother (OFL). There was definitely some entanglement back then.
One thing leads to another. Before we can say Tteokbokki, our female leads up sticks and moved to the small town where the male leads live. They made new friends and reconnected with old ones. They build a home and made a fresh start. Everything is going swimmingly except for the shadow of the YFL's illness.
As you'd expect, romance is definitely in the air. While there are two SFL's. They don't pose much of a threat.
The greater challenge lies in our leads sorting out their feelings and acting upon them. As per usual, this is quite a long and tortuous path. We got there in the end and everyone is happy until it is time for the YFL's operation. So much introspection and tears.
Now the sting I mentioned earlier. It is not really anything nasty but the show is unabashedly sentimental towards the end. Every trope related to relationships, found family, healing and growth are there. You might find it wholesome and sweet . . or not. I won't judge. ;)
However, the time skip in the end feels a little pointless. I see the need for the FL to heal, but it also implies nothing happen to everyone around her during the lengthy skip. Then everything rush ahead once the stasis is over. It feels quite arbitrary.
In the end, it is a pleasant watch. Several romances blossomed. The acting is good from the ensemble cast. Dr. Jung is a gem. Production value is on par. Ditto the OST. It might be too mellow and sentimental for some. Caveat emptor, chingu.
The first couple of episodes is manic. Two already hectic urban lives are upended by life threatening illness as well as career setbacks. A double whammy you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I can sense the "how low can it go" trope rearing its head already.
The daughter (YFL) finally had enough and ran away with her bestie to the sea. There she meets a handsome, helpful young man (YML) and his handsome, helpful father (OML). As luck would have it, the OML went to school with her adopted mother (OFL). There was definitely some entanglement back then.
One thing leads to another. Before we can say Tteokbokki, our female leads up sticks and moved to the small town where the male leads live. They made new friends and reconnected with old ones. They build a home and made a fresh start. Everything is going swimmingly except for the shadow of the YFL's illness.
As you'd expect, romance is definitely in the air. While there are two SFL's. They don't pose much of a threat.
The greater challenge lies in our leads sorting out their feelings and acting upon them. As per usual, this is quite a long and tortuous path. We got there in the end and everyone is happy until it is time for the YFL's operation. So much introspection and tears.
Now the sting I mentioned earlier. It is not really anything nasty but the show is unabashedly sentimental towards the end. Every trope related to relationships, found family, healing and growth are there. You might find it wholesome and sweet . . or not. I won't judge. ;)
However, the time skip in the end feels a little pointless. I see the need for the FL to heal, but it also implies nothing happen to everyone around her during the lengthy skip. Then everything rush ahead once the stasis is over. It feels quite arbitrary.
In the end, it is a pleasant watch. Several romances blossomed. The acting is good from the ensemble cast. Dr. Jung is a gem. Production value is on par. Ditto the OST. It might be too mellow and sentimental for some. Caveat emptor, chingu.
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