Finally got through it. Hated the mom, she pretty much ruined the drama for everyone. Bigoted, nasty, small minded....no way I can understand anyone tolerating or forgiving her violent and disgusting behavior and words towards her daughter, Joon Hee and his sister. The most unsatisfying thing about this drama was Jin Ah's compliance with her behavior. She was willing to go to the wall to correct her slimy co-worker's sexual misbehaviors, but (culture be damned) I cannot abide this kind of parental abuse and she was willing to damage herself and Joon Hee in order to appease her mother. UGH...I could go on and on. Still, I found the ending satisfying....even with the cliche and despised 'separation', followed by 5 minutes of resolution at the very end...for that, it will be dropped in rating from me! ;) These 2 were adorable and natural with one another and did a great job with the story. It was pretty clear to me the story the writer wanted to tell, and for a first time drama it was really pretty good. And the PD is awesome...so the production was gorgeous and quite a feast for the eyes.
BTW.....the sexual harassment was resolved. When she came back to the office to hand in her resignation, the CEO was taking her out to dinner and when they got on the elevator he told her : "As befitting the victor, just smile and let it go". And she smiled.
MDL needs a new category. Machination or Scheme Drama. That is the primary, really only, theme of this drama. It's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, episode after episode. I really enjoyed it at first. Then about a third or halfway through I switch from Netflix to DN to watch it on 2X. Then at episode 12, I skipped 13 and didn't feel like I'd missed a thing...just more Machinations and Scheme....more back and forth. It's actually really well written, and well acted enough. And maybe in a different mood I wouldn't have lost interest. But, something damped the enjoyment, and I ended up being just glad to have it over. Still. 8/10 because of the writing and production.
Brilliant writing. Terrific cast. It is dark and depressing as all get out, but what a story they are telling. Never has my heart been filled up to bursting as much as this drama. I cannot get over how indescribably beautiful everything about this drama is for me. The characters and the relationships are so carefully and intimately written and so perfectly portrayed by a perfectly chosen cast. Truly a privilege to watch this.
This is a terrific show for so many reasons. The production value is excellent. Cinematography, sets, casting of this wonderful ensemble of fine actors, and an amazing, true to life script. They say that it is fictional, but if these stories aren't based on fact, I'll eat my hat! And that made watching it all the more immersive and emotional. It's the stories of the day to day life of police officers, rookies and veterans, and how differently they deal with the duties and responsibilities of a very, very difficult job. It's not enough to deal with drunks vomiting on you and in your vehicle, rape, assault, domestic abuse, murder and a host of other vile things humans do to one another; but they have to handle all of this following a set of rules that their superiors and the public will use to beat them with. And then there is the effect all this has on their private lives.
This drama starts out rather slowly, but, I promise you, if you will give it a chance, by episode 3 or 4 you will be riding with these characters and rooting for them, laughing with them, crying with them, and getting angry with them. Fabulous acting by a group of familiar faces who don't normally stand in the limelight, and this production is all the better for letting all of them shine equally in this. It's an awesome ensemble and I do wish Kdrama leaned more toward sequels. I was especially thrilled to see Shin Dong Wook as he slowly gains larger parts in his return to acting. He has struggled with a terribly destructive and rare disease and I wasn't sure we would ever see him again after all these years. It was wonderful to see him looking so healthy!
Nice story, decent acting. Her starry eyed character was hard to take at first, but grew on me...or she settled down a bit. :) But the guys are all doing a great job. I like how they are not making Dr Ye into a creep so there is an excuse for her to drop the nice older guy for the jerk younger guy like most dramas do. Of course, there is one more episode to go! :) She has so steadily been on the YeLine though that I think it would really diminish her character to jump ship at this late stage. It's not a great show, but, for me, it got better as time went on and I got more attached to the characters and more interested in their different relationships. And the patient stories were a nice break and a way to build our feelings about the main characters. I am very happy that Minho is growing up. He is probably destined to be hurt and I will feel bad for him. But Dr Ye seems to just adore her for who she is and she is still young and new to a serious relationship so feels like she needs to impress him. With Minho she doesn't care how she looks to him because she doesn't care what he thinks of her.
Ah a sweet ending. Really lovely and worth a tick up in rating. Unusual to have a drama like this. They could have gone with the bad boy like so many dramas do. Just loved this couple.
Quite a different and oddly filmed Special. The young man appears to have a rather debilitating case of OCD. He apparently has some ability at baseball, but it seems to come and go. I'm wondering how he stays on the team given all the very obvious problems he has? It's filmed in a kind of choppy snapshot sort of way also which makes it a bit more difficult to get a full picture of his life and how he has been living and coping (or not) with his disability. Still an interesting production and Kwak did an excellent job of portraying this rather tragic young man.
Absolutely brilliant and absolutely adored it. Beautifully written and acted. Loved every minute! So thankful for the laughs at the end! He lives. One day at a time. But it may be all any of us has. He and she are lucky that they live every day to its fullest, making it count, as if it is their last. I let my days slide by, as many of us do. I am going to miss being with them every week. The very best dramas for me are ones where I want to just BE with them, on and on. But I'm so glad we didn't have to watch him go. I like dramas that leave us with that message, that each day is about living that day and not waiting to die.
unfortunately, in real life it is very hard to like someone who has mental health issues and is hostile like she is. I empathize with her but find it is still hard to have sympathy for her, tho there is some of that too. Also there is still a lot of their history to uncover. It's hard to understand a character like Hyun Joo because kdrama has taught us that everyone should handle life threatening situations with a brave front while continuing to love and care for everyone around you. The reality of the situation can be that too...but I think a lot of us have had to deal with a quite different scenario. That said, this thing just does not pull me in. It's not the acting since I've seen all of these actors before, including her, and they are wonderful. It's the writing for me. I just don't like this story. It may be a good and honest story. But I still don't like it! :) I LOVED Marriage Contract. She was also hostile and angry and exhausted and unreasonable, but you felt all of those things right along with her. In this writing it's harder to be with our lead even if I understand her. I'll keep trying tho. So far I'm still playing catch up and just starting ep 7.
But...it's probably going to be that relationship with Da Hye that is going to sour me on this drama. I cannot stand the obsessive ex cliche anymore.
We need more adult and mature dramas in K-Drama land like this. This has some silly and fun moments, but overall…
yep..me too. We are so lucky there have been so many terrific dramas these last few years. And while I too want more adult stuff, more realism mixed in with the fairy tales, I'm also just amazed by some of these younger actors that pop up now and then and the depth of emotion and feelings they are able to put into their characters. Loved Dear My Friends. And Misty and Mother, Woman of Dignity and Avengers Social Club, Stranger, Whisper, The Most Beautiful Goodbye. And currently this beauty and My Mister. So thankful for Korean cable!
Really well done. Excellent acting, direction and writing. All the characters had multiple layers and were fascinating to watch as a result. Park Jin Hee did a terrific job stepping into the middle of the mess and she blended in very quickly. I sincerely hope Go Hyun Jung is not permanently damaged as a result of her blow up on set.
BTW.....the sexual harassment was resolved. When she came back to the office to hand in her resignation, the CEO was taking her out to dinner and when they got on the elevator he told her : "As befitting the victor, just smile and let it go". And she smiled.
This drama starts out rather slowly, but, I promise you, if you will give it a chance, by episode 3 or 4 you will be riding with these characters and rooting for them, laughing with them, crying with them, and getting angry with them. Fabulous acting by a group of familiar faces who don't normally stand in the limelight, and this production is all the better for letting all of them shine equally in this. It's an awesome ensemble and I do wish Kdrama leaned more toward sequels.
I was especially thrilled to see Shin Dong Wook as he slowly gains larger parts in his return to acting. He has struggled with a terribly destructive and rare disease and I wasn't sure we would ever see him again after all these years. It was wonderful to see him looking so healthy!
Ah a sweet ending. Really lovely and worth a tick up in rating. Unusual to have a drama like this. They could have gone with the bad boy like so many dramas do. Just loved this couple.
But...it's probably going to be that relationship with Da Hye that is going to sour me on this drama. I cannot stand the obsessive ex cliche anymore.