5
1
Who needs Tinder when you can join the OTP's friend circle
As an idol romance drama, it ticked many boxes. Our leads are eye candies, and they have good chemistry so their pairing can’t be faulted.
Credit where credit is due, the core theme is solid and made a nice through line. The sleepwalking is a little forced, but effective as a plot device. The late-night calling of the ML's phone by the FL is clever the first couple of times, but it becomes repetitive. The little twist with the call recordings saved us a lot of angst.
The rest of the drama is patchy. This is not helped by a large support cast that are mostly from central casting. The sad fact is the veteran actors did their best. Unfortunately, their characters have little presence and even less to do. There are also some production related issues such as integration of location shots.
Thus, it falls on the shoulders of not one, but 2 secondary couples to chew up some screen time. These two CPs' romances are stilted to say the least. BTW, there is a last minute 4CP. You guessed it, they are also in our leads' friend circle.
Let's start with the 2CP. We have a mushroom farm worker being paired with the FL's long suffering PD. The 2ML is the polar opposite to the ML and is socially awkward. They fell in love at first sight. Really?
The 3CP is even more tenuous. The 3ML is our male lead’s business partner and the 3FL is the village cafe owner. Their pairing is rather random and they have zero chemistry. We watch their awkward courtship with more apprehension than delight. Behold! The magical power of the friend circle!
If the secondary pairings are less than ideal, the meet-cute between the SML and the FL is next level. The script would have us believe the FL ran under a total stranger's umbrella during a sudden rain shower. Rather than mumbling a joesonghabnida and move on, she kept him company for some time, walking around aimlessly in the rain and chatting freely. They ended up having coffee together and she even agreed to a meal the next day. No wonder the SML developed feelings.
This appears to be out of character and made the FL look desperate. I'm glad they eventually parted ways as friends. I'm just thankful we didn't end up with a psycho SML as per the playbook.
We mustn't forget the relationship between the FL and her estranged mother. This is a can of worms. The original reasoning behind the alienation is old school but plausible. The longer the story runs, the more convoluted it becomes. No wonder the FL has mommy issues. Of course, that relationship also has an redemption arc. It is that type of drama after all.
If the show has been more focused on our lead's romance and growth, I'd have given it an 8.5. With all the missteps I can only give it a 7.5
In the end, the show was a hit and a miss for me. I freely acknowledge the series has good bones. I swooned when the OTP is firing. They are a cute couple. I just wish the series as a whole is done better.
As expected, it all ends well. Rainbow and sunshine blessed the land. The last couple of eps used up all the pink ribbon supply and should come with a diabetic warning. A one-time watch for me. Peace.
Credit where credit is due, the core theme is solid and made a nice through line. The sleepwalking is a little forced, but effective as a plot device. The late-night calling of the ML's phone by the FL is clever the first couple of times, but it becomes repetitive. The little twist with the call recordings saved us a lot of angst.
The rest of the drama is patchy. This is not helped by a large support cast that are mostly from central casting. The sad fact is the veteran actors did their best. Unfortunately, their characters have little presence and even less to do. There are also some production related issues such as integration of location shots.
Thus, it falls on the shoulders of not one, but 2 secondary couples to chew up some screen time. These two CPs' romances are stilted to say the least. BTW, there is a last minute 4CP. You guessed it, they are also in our leads' friend circle.
Let's start with the 2CP. We have a mushroom farm worker being paired with the FL's long suffering PD. The 2ML is the polar opposite to the ML and is socially awkward. They fell in love at first sight. Really?
The 3CP is even more tenuous. The 3ML is our male lead’s business partner and the 3FL is the village cafe owner. Their pairing is rather random and they have zero chemistry. We watch their awkward courtship with more apprehension than delight. Behold! The magical power of the friend circle!
If the secondary pairings are less than ideal, the meet-cute between the SML and the FL is next level. The script would have us believe the FL ran under a total stranger's umbrella during a sudden rain shower. Rather than mumbling a joesonghabnida and move on, she kept him company for some time, walking around aimlessly in the rain and chatting freely. They ended up having coffee together and she even agreed to a meal the next day. No wonder the SML developed feelings.
This appears to be out of character and made the FL look desperate. I'm glad they eventually parted ways as friends. I'm just thankful we didn't end up with a psycho SML as per the playbook.
We mustn't forget the relationship between the FL and her estranged mother. This is a can of worms. The original reasoning behind the alienation is old school but plausible. The longer the story runs, the more convoluted it becomes. No wonder the FL has mommy issues. Of course, that relationship also has an redemption arc. It is that type of drama after all.
If the show has been more focused on our lead's romance and growth, I'd have given it an 8.5. With all the missteps I can only give it a 7.5
In the end, the show was a hit and a miss for me. I freely acknowledge the series has good bones. I swooned when the OTP is firing. They are a cute couple. I just wish the series as a whole is done better.
As expected, it all ends well. Rainbow and sunshine blessed the land. The last couple of eps used up all the pink ribbon supply and should come with a diabetic warning. A one-time watch for me. Peace.
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