This review may contain spoilers
Surely Not Together
This was pretty bad and the only redeeming quality it had was the acting, that's about it. I started watching it mostly because I like Park Seo Joon and he has done stuff I enjoyed but I think this might be the weakest kdrama of his I've seen (not in his acting but overall).
Maybe it's because I've watched my fair share of kdramas at this point or maybe because I've actually never been into it, but I'm getting at my limit of CEO's, rich and other chaebol people as main characters or romantic interests, it makes it very difficult for me to sympathise with their supposed struggles when they're crying while holding a Louis Vuitton bag in their hands, even more so when their sorrows are self inflicted, like in here.
I think their claims of this kdrama to be more realistic than others end with their separate personalities and the portrayal on the difficulties of getting divorced due to patriarchal systems. Yes, people like the main characters exist, but it's not like characters in other kdramas are unrealistic, there are plenty at the same level and way better too.
Their relationship? sure, it can be realistic, it can happen. Problem is when they're trying for me to root for them when clearly they're in a toxic dynamic that they should have already broken up for good a long time ago. ML should have moved on already when she just left him without explaining herself, her excuses are as weak as their relationship.
We're seeing here a woman that conveniently remembers the guy when she's in need of him, that is entitled and egotistical, and a guy that is a hopeless romantic and gets easily manipulated. Realistic? Sure! but not exactly a relationship I personally like to watch, less idiolise or think that it's nice and beautiful. If I was his friend I would be telling him to move on and go to therapy because he has clearly a bad case of dependency and unhealthy idealisation. If I was her friend, I would no longer be because I would have told her I'm not a fan of how she's using the guy and dropping him when convenient and making him do whatever she wants. All their breakups are pretty stupid and nonsensical, for people that technically wants to stay together that is. Realistic because she's not going to blow up her entire career for him? sure, realistic because he leaves his life and goes one year abroad to get space? not so much. All people around them also enable their relationship and no one seems to see the problems, not even their closest friends....okeeey.
In the constraints of ML character's portrayal is kinda realistic he didn't have any other partner because he was that obsessed with FL, but realistically in the real world? no. In real life if he had been that level obsessed to not get with anyone else probably he would have become a stalker or would have tried to end his life. Harsh, but let's be honest, his dependency of her passed as love is not exactly healthy. But anyway, this is kind of contradictory because it was not realistic in the drama that he would only obsess about her when she was around but seemingly he was capable and ok of letting her live her life when she was not around. Both of them use this IN-OUT in the relationship all the time, but it's not very realistic (especially on his side) with that level of dependency.
They have good times together, but they're very ready (when I say "they" here I mean mostly her though) to drop the other at the minimal inconvenience instead of talking to one another and deciding things together. Realistic? maybe in some doomed relationships, but either way not exactly a portrayal of a long lasting or meant-to-be relationship.
So overall, I think their portrayal of the relationship is ok on trying to show nuanced characters and a non healthy relationship, but again, the problem is when it's spoon fed to the audience as a healthy or fated relationship and trying for you to sympathise with their struggles (that they inflected on themselves), then I do have a problem with it. It's almost like they're trying to say that because they have been together and broken up so many times that that makes them fated lovers. I don't personally like it.
The plot is very thin and drags a lot. It's curious that I found the last episode of the series a lot more entertaining than any other in the series, mostly because it was more dynamic with seeing more of his work as a reporter, because let's be honest, the rest of the series he's pretty much just sat at this office table for a few scenes more than doing his job (and doesn't change the fact that most of the work he does is to help FL).
Meanwhile we get an FL that gets a position thanks to nepotism and we're told that she's good at it, even though she was not previously even interested. I guess the nepotism had to be excused in some manner.
Plot wise, FL's sister is more interesting, but even this plot was a bit dragged (paused at times for other subplots) and the resolution was not bad but not great, it felt a bit underwhelming because of how long it took to solve and how fast it was in the end.
FL's mother was presented as a conflict point at the beginning but then it was dropped and I guess the mother is amazing after all, a couple of words solved years of trauma of FL. Other than the plot with the sister, anything that came up plot wise on the side of the FL was kind of chaebol cliché and boring.
The last episode also has way more longing and feels than the rest of the series did for me, and it would have worked if the rest of the series had been different. One second you're feeling that longing, the rest you remember they're who they're and the history they have and you're like "I hope they actually don't find each other". But funny enough, them finding each other at that point would have actually have been better than what we got.
"Kids, your mother and I rekindled our relationship because our mutual best friend died and we met again at his funeral". Who thought this was a good idea? why did they kill that character anyway in the last episode? what was that??????? Bad writing!
Sorry to say at that point I started laughing at the sheer level of bad taste, it felt like a joke (this actually made me take half a point in my score of the series, you don't pull stupid moves like this 10 minutes to the end of the series). No, this specific move with the funeral doesn't make this more realistic. Them not meeting in Málaga? sure, although it wouldn't have been super unrealistic them finding each other there when she's actively looking for him, but it's ok.
Not like they could have made a million other reasons why ML would go back to Korea and meet her...
But I guess that since they couldn't just straight up start it and talk during the funeral (although technically she tried and it was not a cute move), they had to move the scene to the airport. Realistic? no, but cliché yes. Even ignoring the airport as a setting, realistic would be the guy saying "ok, yeah, let's talk when I come back maybe, as I said I came in a rush and I have things to wrap up back in Málaga. Plus I'm not going to waste the ticket I paid for, it was not cheap" (I mean, I imagine money doesn't matter in their case since she's loaded).
I guess this had the vibes of inverse Cinderella too in that sense.
Product placement is often and very on the face, I found it annoying.
Flashbacks with that blurry effect were terrible!!! It was...well... blurry, and very annoying to the eyes. They could have used a colour filter, a frame, grain , anything other than blurring the picture. I disliked every time there was a flashback because of this.
Overall I can't recommend, acting is good, there are a couple of cute moments if you forget the character's personalities and history but otherwise the writing/plot is boring, dragged, uninspired and their relationship is not healthy but presented as somehow fated.
I guess if you enjoy dramas like Lovestruck in the City you might like this too.
Maybe it's because I've watched my fair share of kdramas at this point or maybe because I've actually never been into it, but I'm getting at my limit of CEO's, rich and other chaebol people as main characters or romantic interests, it makes it very difficult for me to sympathise with their supposed struggles when they're crying while holding a Louis Vuitton bag in their hands, even more so when their sorrows are self inflicted, like in here.
I think their claims of this kdrama to be more realistic than others end with their separate personalities and the portrayal on the difficulties of getting divorced due to patriarchal systems. Yes, people like the main characters exist, but it's not like characters in other kdramas are unrealistic, there are plenty at the same level and way better too.
Their relationship? sure, it can be realistic, it can happen. Problem is when they're trying for me to root for them when clearly they're in a toxic dynamic that they should have already broken up for good a long time ago. ML should have moved on already when she just left him without explaining herself, her excuses are as weak as their relationship.
We're seeing here a woman that conveniently remembers the guy when she's in need of him, that is entitled and egotistical, and a guy that is a hopeless romantic and gets easily manipulated. Realistic? Sure! but not exactly a relationship I personally like to watch, less idiolise or think that it's nice and beautiful. If I was his friend I would be telling him to move on and go to therapy because he has clearly a bad case of dependency and unhealthy idealisation. If I was her friend, I would no longer be because I would have told her I'm not a fan of how she's using the guy and dropping him when convenient and making him do whatever she wants. All their breakups are pretty stupid and nonsensical, for people that technically wants to stay together that is. Realistic because she's not going to blow up her entire career for him? sure, realistic because he leaves his life and goes one year abroad to get space? not so much. All people around them also enable their relationship and no one seems to see the problems, not even their closest friends....okeeey.
In the constraints of ML character's portrayal is kinda realistic he didn't have any other partner because he was that obsessed with FL, but realistically in the real world? no. In real life if he had been that level obsessed to not get with anyone else probably he would have become a stalker or would have tried to end his life. Harsh, but let's be honest, his dependency of her passed as love is not exactly healthy. But anyway, this is kind of contradictory because it was not realistic in the drama that he would only obsess about her when she was around but seemingly he was capable and ok of letting her live her life when she was not around. Both of them use this IN-OUT in the relationship all the time, but it's not very realistic (especially on his side) with that level of dependency.
They have good times together, but they're very ready (when I say "they" here I mean mostly her though) to drop the other at the minimal inconvenience instead of talking to one another and deciding things together. Realistic? maybe in some doomed relationships, but either way not exactly a portrayal of a long lasting or meant-to-be relationship.
So overall, I think their portrayal of the relationship is ok on trying to show nuanced characters and a non healthy relationship, but again, the problem is when it's spoon fed to the audience as a healthy or fated relationship and trying for you to sympathise with their struggles (that they inflected on themselves), then I do have a problem with it. It's almost like they're trying to say that because they have been together and broken up so many times that that makes them fated lovers. I don't personally like it.
The plot is very thin and drags a lot. It's curious that I found the last episode of the series a lot more entertaining than any other in the series, mostly because it was more dynamic with seeing more of his work as a reporter, because let's be honest, the rest of the series he's pretty much just sat at this office table for a few scenes more than doing his job (and doesn't change the fact that most of the work he does is to help FL).
Meanwhile we get an FL that gets a position thanks to nepotism and we're told that she's good at it, even though she was not previously even interested. I guess the nepotism had to be excused in some manner.
Plot wise, FL's sister is more interesting, but even this plot was a bit dragged (paused at times for other subplots) and the resolution was not bad but not great, it felt a bit underwhelming because of how long it took to solve and how fast it was in the end.
FL's mother was presented as a conflict point at the beginning but then it was dropped and I guess the mother is amazing after all, a couple of words solved years of trauma of FL. Other than the plot with the sister, anything that came up plot wise on the side of the FL was kind of chaebol cliché and boring.
The last episode also has way more longing and feels than the rest of the series did for me, and it would have worked if the rest of the series had been different. One second you're feeling that longing, the rest you remember they're who they're and the history they have and you're like "I hope they actually don't find each other". But funny enough, them finding each other at that point would have actually have been better than what we got.
"Kids, your mother and I rekindled our relationship because our mutual best friend died and we met again at his funeral". Who thought this was a good idea? why did they kill that character anyway in the last episode? what was that??????? Bad writing!
Sorry to say at that point I started laughing at the sheer level of bad taste, it felt like a joke (this actually made me take half a point in my score of the series, you don't pull stupid moves like this 10 minutes to the end of the series). No, this specific move with the funeral doesn't make this more realistic. Them not meeting in Málaga? sure, although it wouldn't have been super unrealistic them finding each other there when she's actively looking for him, but it's ok.
Not like they could have made a million other reasons why ML would go back to Korea and meet her...
But I guess that since they couldn't just straight up start it and talk during the funeral (although technically she tried and it was not a cute move), they had to move the scene to the airport. Realistic? no, but cliché yes. Even ignoring the airport as a setting, realistic would be the guy saying "ok, yeah, let's talk when I come back maybe, as I said I came in a rush and I have things to wrap up back in Málaga. Plus I'm not going to waste the ticket I paid for, it was not cheap" (I mean, I imagine money doesn't matter in their case since she's loaded).
I guess this had the vibes of inverse Cinderella too in that sense.
Product placement is often and very on the face, I found it annoying.
Flashbacks with that blurry effect were terrible!!! It was...well... blurry, and very annoying to the eyes. They could have used a colour filter, a frame, grain , anything other than blurring the picture. I disliked every time there was a flashback because of this.
Overall I can't recommend, acting is good, there are a couple of cute moments if you forget the character's personalities and history but otherwise the writing/plot is boring, dragged, uninspired and their relationship is not healthy but presented as somehow fated.
I guess if you enjoy dramas like Lovestruck in the City you might like this too.
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