Lately, for every good drama like 'In Your Radiant Season', there seems to be a wave of complete duds — and this drama is for sure one of them. I just finished Episode 4, which will be my last, because I honestly have no idea what I’m even watching anymore. It’s boring, it’s bleak, and the leads have zero chemistry.
The ML and FL lacked chemistry, and their entire arc just fizzled out by the end. Meanwhile, Chef John and Ji Wan were quietly stealing the show towards the ending of the drama. Their dynamic heated up and became far more compelling than anything happening between the supposed main couple. Wish we got 16 episodes of them instead of ML/FL.
The chemistry between the ML and FL just is not working for me anymore. I cannot tell if the love triangle drained whatever spark they had, or if the chemistry was never strong to begin with. I did enjoy some of their earlier scenes, but after ep 10 I was not feeling anything between them.
Overall, I blame the writers, producers, and directors rather than the actors. The drama became a hot mess because of the choices behind the scenes. The drama never needed an unnecessary love triangle or a female lead written to be so inconsistent and indecisive.
The writer is absolutely doing the ML dirty at this point. (EP 9)
We’re nearing the end of the drama, and the ML is still drowning in unresolved trauma from his brother, dealing with a garbage father, and getting hit with constant guilt trips from the second male lead, who is still both his rival in love and his moral judge. The ML is carrying every emotional burden alone, feeling every blow, and the writer refuses to give him even a moment of real support or relief.
Meanwhile, the FL has the 2nd ML as her knight-in-shining-armor, always there to swoop in and save the day, even having the cute scenes with FL/baby that should be ML/FL & baby.
The writers had everything they needed for a warm, grounded slice‑of‑life story, two leads carrying shared grief, stepping into unexpected parenthood, slowly finding comfort in each other, and being supported by neighbors and friends we could have actually gotten to know. Instead of forcing in a second male lead, the drama would have been stronger with a secondary couple to balance the tone, something light, funny, and charming to offset the heavier emotional arc of the ML and FL.
What I genuinely don’t understand is the sudden obsession with second male leads and intrusive exes dominating screen time in so many dramas lately. It almost feels like agencies are negotiating for their actors to have equal presence to the ML, even when it makes no narrative sense. Otherwise, why keep centering characters who add nothing but noise?
And I know some people won’t agree, but the shift from 16 episodes down to 8–12 has absolutely gutted the romantic and slice‑of‑life format. You simply cannot build layered characters, meaningful relationships, and multiple plot threads in that little space. Something always gets sacrificed , usually the main couple’s development.
At this point, I’m just grateful Chinese dramas still give us 24+ episodes to let stories breathe. 🙏🏼
And our instincts about the dad were right and the writers just let that precious baby be left with him all day when ml has not seem him in 20 years?? just cuz he's an elder - lmao - such awful writing.
I am honestly at a loss for words. The disrespect toward the ML and his feelings for FL is unbelievable, and the FL is written so poorly she might be one of the worst female leads I’ve ever watched. The ML deserves better — he should take that baby, go back to his newly renovated home, and raise the child with the support of his friends. On top of that, he’s dealing with a sketchy father and none of his trauma is being addressed.
Ever since K‑dramas downsized to 12 episodes, any drama built around heavy love triangles or intrusive exes has become a complete pain to watch.
Just finished this. It was ok, nothing special, and at times, I wasn't feeling the chemistry between ml/fl, like the romance felt a bit forced, imo. It's a decent watch, though, and would be great to watch while watching other dramas, waiting for those dramas' episodes to drop.
I liked it. It's been many years since I saw it but it stayed me to a degree because when I started watching this drama I felt like I had seen it already and I've never seen the Swedish version. Two seasons also allowed for more of the plot to be fleshed out.
I may be in the minority, but I felt lukewarm about this drama. It reminded me a lot of the ML’s earlier work, My Boss, with the leads living together as roommates, working in the same field, and the ML mentoring the FL. I personally preferred My Boss.
The virtual reality and architecture storylines didn’t grab me, and the second FL’s subplot felt heavier than needed. Still, the ML and FL have great chemistry, and their relationship arc was the highlight that kept the drama enjoyable for me despite the weaker storylines.
I went in to this drama expecting something light and ended up with a darker story than anticipated, but the strong chemistry, visuals, and well-timed twists kept me engaged the whole way through. This drama was good for getting me out of my kdrama slump 🙏🏼as it kept my attention without feeling like a chore to watch.
tvN left out Queen of Tears from its 20 year commemorative video. It's a shame that everyone he worked with has been affected by his scandal. Dramas like Knock Off season 1 and 2 shelved. QOT erased from the history of the channel it aired on. If the industry truly believed him innocent, they would not GAF, and would have put in a segment from QOT. But they didn't. That says a lot, IMO.
Episode 25 is easily one of the best episodes I’ve seen in a modern romance drama. The sustained focus on the two main leads and their shared vulnerable screen time makes the episode especially satisfying. I was genuinely surprised by how much I ended up loving this drama because street racing doesn’t interest me at all, lol, but this series is so much more than that. And He Yu is phenomenal as “Zhao Zhao” as he can convey so much with just his eyes. I truly enjoyed this drama and I am sad to see it end already.
Unwritten seoul was so boring damn, if that is better than this drama then this must be worst! not gonna watch…
I found the main and supporting characters in Last Summer irritating and over-the-top, and the chemistry between the actors/characters just didn’t click for me. I can handle a slow plot, but if the chemistry isn’t there, it’s hard for me to stay engaged.
I am putting this on hold after three episodes because it just isn't holding my interest. If you want something in a similar vein but much better, go with Our Unwritten Seoul instead.
This drama is driving me up the wall. It's so bad. No one shows any emotion. 🤦🏼♀️ I'm gonna drop it at EP 14. And the actor already did a similar plot in Because of Love, which is a little bit better. Watch that and don't waste your time on this drama.
Overall, I blame the writers, producers, and directors rather than the actors. The drama became a hot mess because of the choices behind the scenes. The drama never needed an unnecessary love triangle or a female lead written to be so inconsistent and indecisive.
We’re nearing the end of the drama, and the ML is still drowning in unresolved trauma from his brother, dealing with a garbage father, and getting hit with constant guilt trips from the second male lead, who is still both his rival in love and his moral judge. The ML is carrying every emotional burden alone, feeling every blow, and the writer refuses to give him even a moment of real support or relief.
Meanwhile, the FL has the 2nd ML as her knight-in-shining-armor, always there to swoop in and save the day, even having the cute scenes with FL/baby that should be ML/FL & baby.
What I genuinely don’t understand is the sudden obsession with second male leads and intrusive exes dominating screen time in so many dramas lately. It almost feels like agencies are negotiating for their actors to have equal presence to the ML, even when it makes no narrative sense. Otherwise, why keep centering characters who add nothing but noise?
And I know some people won’t agree, but the shift from 16 episodes down to 8–12 has absolutely gutted the romantic and slice‑of‑life format. You simply cannot build layered characters, meaningful relationships, and multiple plot threads in that little space. Something always gets sacrificed , usually the main couple’s development.
At this point, I’m just grateful Chinese dramas still give us 24+ episodes to let stories breathe. 🙏🏼
Ever since K‑dramas downsized to 12 episodes, any drama built around heavy love triangles or intrusive exes has become a complete pain to watch.
There’s also an Australian version, Love Me (2021), and it’s on Hulu, with two seasons.
The virtual reality and architecture storylines didn’t grab me, and the second FL’s subplot felt heavier than needed. Still, the ML and FL have great chemistry, and their relationship arc was the highlight that kept the drama enjoyable for me despite the weaker storylines.
tvN 20th Anniversary commemorative video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVQ6jQEe7-c