In the world of damsel in distress, the badass FL is a breath of fresh air (well almost)
In a landscape flooded with past lives, murder mysteries, and childhood trauma-filled rom-coms, Love to Hate You is a breath of fresh air. If you're tired of the typical damsel-in-distress tropes, this drama gives you a badass female lead who takes no prisoners and actually makes you want to root for her—not just in romance, but in life. Finally, a leading lady who’s strong, smart, and doesn’t need saving!
The premise is fantastic, and the show does a great job of balancing pure chemistry and comedy between the leads, creating that perfect rom-com energy. Really loved the fake dating plot. It’s lighthearted, entertaining, and hits every checkpoint of the classic trope with style and charm.
However, not everything is perfect. The whole ‘justifying dating around’ and the constant misogynistic undertones felt a little too heavy-handed. It kind of detracted from the otherwise strong, progressive vibe the show was going for and that took away all the woke points the story was trying to gain. Also, the second lead’s storyline didn’t do much for me. It lacked the depth that could’ve made it a truly compelling subplot, and at times, made me use the "fast forward" option like a ninja when they had screentime, which I'm usually not a fan of.
I would've loved to see more depth to the characters. For example, FL issues with men probably originated from her father’s treatment to her mother, The male lead’s issues with women seemed to stem from his mother/ex but they did not seem to deep dive on it. Same with FL's friend's character as well FL's mother's character, I wished their character had a development arc of being independent/separated from her husband.
But overall, Love to Hate You nails what it’s supposed to do—fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and a badass heroine in a short 10 episode length which works out well for them!
The premise is fantastic, and the show does a great job of balancing pure chemistry and comedy between the leads, creating that perfect rom-com energy. Really loved the fake dating plot. It’s lighthearted, entertaining, and hits every checkpoint of the classic trope with style and charm.
However, not everything is perfect. The whole ‘justifying dating around’ and the constant misogynistic undertones felt a little too heavy-handed. It kind of detracted from the otherwise strong, progressive vibe the show was going for and that took away all the woke points the story was trying to gain. Also, the second lead’s storyline didn’t do much for me. It lacked the depth that could’ve made it a truly compelling subplot, and at times, made me use the "fast forward" option like a ninja when they had screentime, which I'm usually not a fan of.
I would've loved to see more depth to the characters. For example, FL issues with men probably originated from her father’s treatment to her mother, The male lead’s issues with women seemed to stem from his mother/ex but they did not seem to deep dive on it. Same with FL's friend's character as well FL's mother's character, I wished their character had a development arc of being independent/separated from her husband.
But overall, Love to Hate You nails what it’s supposed to do—fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and a badass heroine in a short 10 episode length which works out well for them!
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