4
This review may contain spoilers
What do you call a romantic makjang comedy?
🔔 I have edited the progressive review into this final version. Enjoy!
I was genuinely excited about this show. Its premise sounds delicious. It is a little bit naughty. That's the special sauce of a good rom-com, right? ;)
In the end, I'm conflicted. There are more lows than highs. I'm sorry that this review will be a bit ranting. I really wanted to like this drama, yet I walked away disappointed.
Like many k-dramas, it starts well. The attraction between our leads is strong. They are motoring along as you do in holiday romances. So far, so swoon-y.
The FL had to lie to get her first decent job. It wasn't a simple white lie either. Heck no! She went from a bachelorette to a married woman with a young son. Snap!
It was audacious, but she is desperate. She needed the money to help her mum so I'll give her a hall pass. It is not the lie that is the core issue here. It is the fallout and the characters interplay that are much more problematic.
The FL is portrayed as a loser from the start. I have no problem cheering on an underdog. Unfortunately, while her work life is forging ahead, her private life is tanking. She is weak and did nothing when she knew her deeds are harming others. A simple mea culpa would have turned the tide and she'll win the handsome guy.
To be fair, this is not helped by the ML falling deeply in love. He is obsessed. He is torn between doing the right thing and going postal. His pain is palatable. It is basically schadenfreude, forget rom-com.
It is a witches brew of cliché subplots by mid show. It is draggy and full of relationship red flags. It doesn't beat around the bush, it is a whole garden maze.
Speaking of red flags, I can't ignore the behaviour of the SML. He is the FL's bestie for 20 years. It is obvious that he has a crush on the FL. When the FL asked him to play her husband at work he took full advantage. He’d sidle up to her and gets all handsy. The FL has no choice but to play along meekly. She looked so uncomfortable. This is messed up.
But wait . . there's more! Here comes the SFL!
She falls for the SML at first sight. She took the effort to get close to his young son and suss out his life story. It was shady but you can roll with it. What is less forgivable is when she starts to blackmail him to go on dates with her to keep his secret. C'est l'amour?
All told, the ML spends several eps close to his breaking point. He wants to protect the FL, yet he wants the "married" woman even more. It was torturous to watch. So many people are hurting. It was a League of Sufferersâ„¢.
The ML even plans to drag the SFL into a loveless marriage just so that he can "protect" the FL. When did it ever worked? This triggered his fragile mum as well.
It is all sunshine and unicorns after the truth comes out around ep.9. The tonal shift is dramatic. This only serves to highlight the pointlessness of the preceding eps.
The show is largely on cruise control heading into the home straight. It was borderline sugar overload, but I'll take it after all the makjang shenanigans. That is until the angst train hit us again. We have the whole hit parade of angsty devices plus a break-up with bonus Noble Idiocy. What fun!
No sooner did we get some resolution and let out a collective sigh of relief, did the writer-nim brought forth the Big White Truck of Doomâ„¢ . . I mean a big black limo. But wait, there is more! The OG amnesia trope. (Sigh) There is so much going on yet it feels . . formulaic, stale.
The ending is predictable and artificially sweetened. All the threads are tied up with pink bows. I don't want to call it lazy writing . . but if the shoe fits.
The sad fact is that the production quality is not bad, it has potential. The acting is decent in general even though most characters are straight out of central casting. There is a nugget of good idea at its core, it just got workshopped to death over time. Peace.
P.S. the cameo of the $1 Lawyer is a surprise bonus. Is this a hint?
I was genuinely excited about this show. Its premise sounds delicious. It is a little bit naughty. That's the special sauce of a good rom-com, right? ;)
In the end, I'm conflicted. There are more lows than highs. I'm sorry that this review will be a bit ranting. I really wanted to like this drama, yet I walked away disappointed.
Like many k-dramas, it starts well. The attraction between our leads is strong. They are motoring along as you do in holiday romances. So far, so swoon-y.
The FL had to lie to get her first decent job. It wasn't a simple white lie either. Heck no! She went from a bachelorette to a married woman with a young son. Snap!
It was audacious, but she is desperate. She needed the money to help her mum so I'll give her a hall pass. It is not the lie that is the core issue here. It is the fallout and the characters interplay that are much more problematic.
The FL is portrayed as a loser from the start. I have no problem cheering on an underdog. Unfortunately, while her work life is forging ahead, her private life is tanking. She is weak and did nothing when she knew her deeds are harming others. A simple mea culpa would have turned the tide and she'll win the handsome guy.
To be fair, this is not helped by the ML falling deeply in love. He is obsessed. He is torn between doing the right thing and going postal. His pain is palatable. It is basically schadenfreude, forget rom-com.
It is a witches brew of cliché subplots by mid show. It is draggy and full of relationship red flags. It doesn't beat around the bush, it is a whole garden maze.
Speaking of red flags, I can't ignore the behaviour of the SML. He is the FL's bestie for 20 years. It is obvious that he has a crush on the FL. When the FL asked him to play her husband at work he took full advantage. He’d sidle up to her and gets all handsy. The FL has no choice but to play along meekly. She looked so uncomfortable. This is messed up.
But wait . . there's more! Here comes the SFL!
She falls for the SML at first sight. She took the effort to get close to his young son and suss out his life story. It was shady but you can roll with it. What is less forgivable is when she starts to blackmail him to go on dates with her to keep his secret. C'est l'amour?
All told, the ML spends several eps close to his breaking point. He wants to protect the FL, yet he wants the "married" woman even more. It was torturous to watch. So many people are hurting. It was a League of Sufferersâ„¢.
The ML even plans to drag the SFL into a loveless marriage just so that he can "protect" the FL. When did it ever worked? This triggered his fragile mum as well.
It is all sunshine and unicorns after the truth comes out around ep.9. The tonal shift is dramatic. This only serves to highlight the pointlessness of the preceding eps.
The show is largely on cruise control heading into the home straight. It was borderline sugar overload, but I'll take it after all the makjang shenanigans. That is until the angst train hit us again. We have the whole hit parade of angsty devices plus a break-up with bonus Noble Idiocy. What fun!
No sooner did we get some resolution and let out a collective sigh of relief, did the writer-nim brought forth the Big White Truck of Doomâ„¢ . . I mean a big black limo. But wait, there is more! The OG amnesia trope. (Sigh) There is so much going on yet it feels . . formulaic, stale.
The ending is predictable and artificially sweetened. All the threads are tied up with pink bows. I don't want to call it lazy writing . . but if the shoe fits.
The sad fact is that the production quality is not bad, it has potential. The acting is decent in general even though most characters are straight out of central casting. There is a nugget of good idea at its core, it just got workshopped to death over time. Peace.
P.S. the cameo of the $1 Lawyer is a surprise bonus. Is this a hint?
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