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A delightful and moving healing drama about the power of grace and of being present
There were so many times throughout this drama that I laughed out loud, sighed, clapped, and even cried. It explores the cost of holding onto unnecessary guilt and blame, all the while maintaining an uplifting and fun vibe using the contrast between the busy home shopping network world of the city, and the quiet, small town serenity of a mushroom farm.
--THE STRENGTHS
Why I recommend this drama:
- There was not one episode I didn't laugh out loud, like cackle level laugh. Usually more than once. The comedy is absurdist, breaks the fourth wall often, isn't afraid to go all in, and never takes itself too seriously. The cast seemed to be having a BLAST.
- The main couple had truly wonderful chemistry. You could feel how drawn they were to each other from the start. Their romance felt organic and subtle yet at the same time passionate and loud. I rooted for them from the start, and they are one of the few romcom couples lately that I feel are actually perfect for each other on a soul level, and who will be really happy together for a long time. I enjoyed every single scene between them.
- Solid character arcs for the main leads. As the show goes on more and more is revealed about what the two leads have been through in their lives, and all their actions, even the ones that are frustrating, truly felt rooted in genuine past experiences that shaped who they are. Even the short period of angst in the drama felt necessary when you consider what they've been through and the depth of the pain they were trying to learn how to face. I connected with their struggles and enjoyed the layers underneath each character.
- Well connected plotline and emotional arcs. Too many dramas have a plot that seems to unfold separate from the emotional arcs of the characters, so that the drama ends up feeling disjointed or superficial. Not the case here. The plotlines of the contamination backstory, the current day cosmetic acquisition, Yejin and her mother, Mechoori and his lost dream, all weave together and ebb and flow along with the emotional arcs ebb and flow, resolving in a way that felt perfectly aligned. It's really satisfying and makes all the emotional notes hit quite strong. To the point I actually shed tears more than once.
---LONG DIGRESSION ON SUPPOSED PLOT HOLES (some small possible spoilers)
[tl;dr-- viewers complaining of "plot holes" either were very confidently wrong about something they called "unrealistic" that actually completely aligns with real world situations and facts, weren't paying attention to details that explained it, or were being exceptionally picky for small plot contrivances used to set up interesting moments or scenes that are on the level you see in almost all TV shows. ]
This drama got a lot of unfair criticism during its run for supposed plot holes or unrealistic situations. People seemed to go through it with a fine toothed comb, trying to find anything to pick at, especially when it came to the FL, and then calling it a plot hole. Stuff like the FL accidentally locking her phone in her car. They called that a plot hole because... she should have known not to accidentally leave her phone in her car? So many times there WERE reasonable explanations the viewer completely missed because they weren't paying attention. At worse there were some mildly under-explained plot conveniences used to create a compelling or interesting scene, no more egregious than you see in almost every other TV show.
And in fact, I loved one of the only TRUE coincidences, which was the ML getting the same phone number as the FLs mom used to have, as it created a unique way for them to connect on a truly intimate level that I haven't seen used in a drama before, and felt more like the universe was giving them a fateful gift than anything contrived. Yet people still complained even though it was part of the premise and was used very well in the show.
More than that a lot of people were just ignorant of real life facts explored in the drama. It is not uncommon at all for sleepwalkers to have fully coherent conversations and leave the house and walk long distances without any memory of what happened, and abusing sleeping pills can cause chronic sleep walking disorder and worsen symptoms. It is common for companies to try and cut costs by cutting corners on quality. It is common for products to be recalled even after they've passed testing and gone out to the public. It is also very common psychological reaction for people to take on blame of others when trauma is involved, and to hold onto it even if they aren't truly at fault in some attempt to cope. It is common for people with unresolved self blame and shame to lash out at people they care about once things get too close to that pain. Too many viewers were very loudly proclaiming something as "unbelievable" when it was actually completely believable based on subject they simply had no actual knowledge of or experience in, and acted like it was a badge of honor to point out something wrong with the show like this.
--THE WEAKNESSES
That said, the drama wasn't perfect. And I have to point out its flaws as well:
- The 2ML is one dimensional, bland and unfortunately not played very well by the usually more compelling Kim Bum. Useful only for adding comedy to the main leads story. Luckily he doesn't have a ton of scenes, and he does start to feel a little more two dimensional in the second half. There was a lot more that could have been done with him, so he feels utterly wasted as a character.
- Uneven execution at times, especially for anything other than the main leads story. The bones of the story were really well sketched, and when things came together well it hit SO well, as detailed above. And there were times when the side characters were SO funny and well done. But there were times where the side plots with the villagers felt a little thin, where some of the side character's acting felt weak and distracting, where the pacing felt a bit off, or where certain side characters or side plots got more attention than they merited.
- The first two episodes were by far the weakest. I didn't dislike them as much as others seemed to, and am glad I kept watching. But the show improved tremendously as it goes along.
The above reasons are why I gave it an 8.5. If we're talking just about the main leads story it would be a 10/10.
If you like a slow burn super romantic drama with great chemistry and absurd but hilarious humor that thoughtfully tackles real issues in a genuine way, you will enjoy this drama.
--THE STRENGTHS
Why I recommend this drama:
- There was not one episode I didn't laugh out loud, like cackle level laugh. Usually more than once. The comedy is absurdist, breaks the fourth wall often, isn't afraid to go all in, and never takes itself too seriously. The cast seemed to be having a BLAST.
- The main couple had truly wonderful chemistry. You could feel how drawn they were to each other from the start. Their romance felt organic and subtle yet at the same time passionate and loud. I rooted for them from the start, and they are one of the few romcom couples lately that I feel are actually perfect for each other on a soul level, and who will be really happy together for a long time. I enjoyed every single scene between them.
- Solid character arcs for the main leads. As the show goes on more and more is revealed about what the two leads have been through in their lives, and all their actions, even the ones that are frustrating, truly felt rooted in genuine past experiences that shaped who they are. Even the short period of angst in the drama felt necessary when you consider what they've been through and the depth of the pain they were trying to learn how to face. I connected with their struggles and enjoyed the layers underneath each character.
- Well connected plotline and emotional arcs. Too many dramas have a plot that seems to unfold separate from the emotional arcs of the characters, so that the drama ends up feeling disjointed or superficial. Not the case here. The plotlines of the contamination backstory, the current day cosmetic acquisition, Yejin and her mother, Mechoori and his lost dream, all weave together and ebb and flow along with the emotional arcs ebb and flow, resolving in a way that felt perfectly aligned. It's really satisfying and makes all the emotional notes hit quite strong. To the point I actually shed tears more than once.
---LONG DIGRESSION ON SUPPOSED PLOT HOLES (some small possible spoilers)
[tl;dr-- viewers complaining of "plot holes" either were very confidently wrong about something they called "unrealistic" that actually completely aligns with real world situations and facts, weren't paying attention to details that explained it, or were being exceptionally picky for small plot contrivances used to set up interesting moments or scenes that are on the level you see in almost all TV shows. ]
This drama got a lot of unfair criticism during its run for supposed plot holes or unrealistic situations. People seemed to go through it with a fine toothed comb, trying to find anything to pick at, especially when it came to the FL, and then calling it a plot hole. Stuff like the FL accidentally locking her phone in her car. They called that a plot hole because... she should have known not to accidentally leave her phone in her car? So many times there WERE reasonable explanations the viewer completely missed because they weren't paying attention. At worse there were some mildly under-explained plot conveniences used to create a compelling or interesting scene, no more egregious than you see in almost every other TV show.
And in fact, I loved one of the only TRUE coincidences, which was the ML getting the same phone number as the FLs mom used to have, as it created a unique way for them to connect on a truly intimate level that I haven't seen used in a drama before, and felt more like the universe was giving them a fateful gift than anything contrived. Yet people still complained even though it was part of the premise and was used very well in the show.
More than that a lot of people were just ignorant of real life facts explored in the drama. It is not uncommon at all for sleepwalkers to have fully coherent conversations and leave the house and walk long distances without any memory of what happened, and abusing sleeping pills can cause chronic sleep walking disorder and worsen symptoms. It is common for companies to try and cut costs by cutting corners on quality. It is common for products to be recalled even after they've passed testing and gone out to the public. It is also very common psychological reaction for people to take on blame of others when trauma is involved, and to hold onto it even if they aren't truly at fault in some attempt to cope. It is common for people with unresolved self blame and shame to lash out at people they care about once things get too close to that pain. Too many viewers were very loudly proclaiming something as "unbelievable" when it was actually completely believable based on subject they simply had no actual knowledge of or experience in, and acted like it was a badge of honor to point out something wrong with the show like this.
--THE WEAKNESSES
That said, the drama wasn't perfect. And I have to point out its flaws as well:
- The 2ML is one dimensional, bland and unfortunately not played very well by the usually more compelling Kim Bum. Useful only for adding comedy to the main leads story. Luckily he doesn't have a ton of scenes, and he does start to feel a little more two dimensional in the second half. There was a lot more that could have been done with him, so he feels utterly wasted as a character.
- Uneven execution at times, especially for anything other than the main leads story. The bones of the story were really well sketched, and when things came together well it hit SO well, as detailed above. And there were times when the side characters were SO funny and well done. But there were times where the side plots with the villagers felt a little thin, where some of the side character's acting felt weak and distracting, where the pacing felt a bit off, or where certain side characters or side plots got more attention than they merited.
- The first two episodes were by far the weakest. I didn't dislike them as much as others seemed to, and am glad I kept watching. But the show improved tremendously as it goes along.
The above reasons are why I gave it an 8.5. If we're talking just about the main leads story it would be a 10/10.
If you like a slow burn super romantic drama with great chemistry and absurd but hilarious humor that thoughtfully tackles real issues in a genuine way, you will enjoy this drama.
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